Will the Minister of State give an update on Cherry Orchard nursing home and the planned removal and relocation of elderly and vulnerable nursing home residents? I want to know what status of engagement has taken place and if contact has been made with the families and advocates of late, and if so, how recently. As the Minister of State is aware, the situation arose late in 2023 and there are ongoing protests. Has the Minister of State met the families at the protests? When do we expect the remedial work to be completed and the situation resolved?

In May 2023, a HIQA inspection identified concerns regarding the flooring in both the sycamore and willow units at Cherry Orchard Hospital. These presented a significant potential health and safety risk and a fire risk and it was something that I could not ignore. It was proposed to remove the residents on a phased basis and, so far, 43 residents have been transferred from Cherry Orchard campus, with 17 residents still on-site. There has been ongoing engagement with the residents. Where any Minister receives a report from HIQA that there is a fire risk in a facility which is a long-term residential home for older people, action has to be taken. I stand over the decision. Forty-three residents have been transferred, with 17 more still on-site whose families are not in a position to move them at the moment. There are spaces available for them and the same terms and conditions will apply to these residents when they move.