2026-01-28

I raise the proposed development of an equine therapy centre at the Toghermore House site located in Tuam. Toghermore House is owned by the HSE. It previously hosted a number of mental health support services until these services were relocated to a separate facility in Tuam in 2023. Since the relocation of these services, there have been proposals to develop the site, along with its over 40 acres of land, into an equine therapy centre. However, to date, no concrete plans have been progressed. Equine therapy offers significant physical, emotional and cognitive benefits to children and adults with disabilities. There are many examples of similar therapy centres. The Liskennett farm, which is based on the Cork-Limerick border, demonstrates the benefits these centres bring to both service users and the local community. The Toghermore site has the potential to not only provide these benefits to the local community but also to become a regional centre for this form of therapy in the west of Ireland. I am of the understanding that as of last year the HSE was reviewing the future use of the Toghermore site. I recently met with Ability West to discuss disability services across County Galway and the proposed Toghermore project was raised with me. Given the massive potential of this project and the likely delays in securing funding if it were to be a HSE capital project, there is a view locally that other options should be considered in progressing this project. One such option could be the potential gifting of the land to a section 39 organisation to allow it to progress this project. That organisation could also engage with local sports clubs to explore whether sporting facilities could also be co-located at the site. To do this, the HSE would need to engage with any such organisation and, to date, this meaningful engagement has not happened. Will the Minister of State provide an update on this issue and on the review into the future of the Toghermore site?

l thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, who is fully committed to providing the necessary supports for people with disabilities throughout the country, including those in Galway. I advise the Deputy that the Toghermore House site at Tuam, which is owned and operated by the HSE, is under review. In 2024, a HSE feasibility study was conducted. Following on from this work, a more in-depth health planning study was devised to provide greater detail and allow a more informed decision to be made. The HSE has additionally advised the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, that it aims to have a specialist appointed in February 2026 to commence the study, which will encompass the entire campus, including the buildings. Development of infrastructural proposals cannot be progressed until this review has concluded. The HSE is also engaging with Galway County Council. A meeting was held between Ann Cosgrove, integrated healthcare area manager and Liam Hanrahan, CEO of Galway County Council, on 4 June 2025. A follow-up meeting was held recently between the HSE and county council and another meeting is planned between the parties before the end of January 2026. At present, the HSE continues to utilise facilities on the grounds of Toghermore House for a number of services, including the national counselling services, mental health services, quality and risk, paediatric outpatients, HR and administration support. In addition, a building at the Toghermore campus has been temporarily licensed by HSE to the Office of Public Works for the use of the office of the director of authorised intervention, Tuam. This is a time-bound agency under the auspices of the Department which is overseeing the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification, if possible, and dignified reburial of remains located at the former mother and baby institution in Tuam. The OPW is currently undertaking refurbishment works to fit out the building on the HSE Toghermore campus to meet these requirements. The works are also addressing essential structural issues, for example, works on the roof and upgrades to mechanical and electrical installations. I advise the Deputy that the Department will continue to monitor the progress of the HSE in reviewing the Toghermore site. Any further progress on the utility of the site is subject to the outcome of the study to be completed by the HSE, which includes considerations of an equine therapy centre.

I thank the Minister of State for the update. I understand that the review is ongoing. I urge him to ensure that this is progressed as quickly as possible and that there is engagement with the local organisations like Ability West around the potential for equine therapy there. It would be a game-changer for Tuam and north Galway as a whole. There is a chronic lack of sporting facilities in the area and the potential development of an equine therapy centre would also be an opportunity to support the development of sporting facilities. Many local clubs and schools do not have these facilities. There is a wider need for a communal sports area that the whole community could use. Gifting the site to a section 39 organisation would ensure the potential for greater flexibility to co-locate other facilities at the site if it was owned and operate by such an organisation. Toghermore could be an example of best practice of how we can create an inclusive campus that supports the needs of children and adults with disabilities in Tuam and the surrounding area. I urge the Minister of State to engage with the HSE, Ability West, and other organisations in the local area, and ensure that this project is progressed quickly.

I thank the Deputy again for raising this. I know it is an important issue for the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and indeed for the whole Government. I know she is keen to ensure that all opportunities for the Toghermore campus are explored and that full service delivery capacity can be realised, to the benefit of local and surrounding communities. I reiterate the commitment of this Government to delivering real and tangible solutions to enhance services and better support the needs of adults and children with additional needs in Ireland, as outlined by the commitments set out in our programme for Government.