2025-12-18

14. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her proposals to provide additional respite capacity for adults and children with disabilities in County Monaghan. [72976/25]

The Minister of State may be aware that until last year, Monaghan had no respite facilities for children at all. The services it has currently are incredibly stretched. I ask the Minister of State to outline the proposals to provide additional respite capacity for both adults and children with disabilities in County Monaghan.

HSE Capital and Estates Dublin and North East and the disability services in the Cavan-Monaghan IHA service area have identified a premises for sale that is suitable for the purposes of renovation to develop a HSE respite centre for children. The purchase transaction has been approved and completed. The keys of the premises have been transferred to HSE Capital and Estates Dublin and North East. The premises are located at Drumbear, Ballybay Road, County Monaghan. Following the conclusion of the preliminary design stage with disability services in quarter 3 of 2025, the HSE Capital and Estates Dublin and North East office, through the appointed design team, has progressed with preparing a planning application for the proposed development, to be lodged no later than the end of January 2026. Subject to statutory approval of the planning application, it will be the HSE Capital and Estates Dublin and North East office’s intention to commence the preparation of tender documentation for the project. The HSE will then complete a capital project to prepare the property to deliver a five-bedroom residential respite facility. HSE Capital and Estates Dublin and North East has advised that, if all of those steps go according to the timeframe set out, this project should be completed in quarter 4 of 2026. The number of children who will avail of respite in this new centre will be dependent on the assessed individual needs of each child and his or her family. In order to legally operate as a registered residential respite centre, a facility will need to meet the required standards for a designated respite centre, which is assessed and determined by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA. Cavan-Monaghan disability services secured a commitment for funding for an interim, two-year residential respite service for children in County Monaghan pending the development of the new HSE facility. The location of the interim children’s respite centre for Monaghan is at Urbalkirk, approximately 8 km from Monaghan town. The Talbot Group operates the service under a service arrangement with the HSE. The interim children’s respite centre, called Rainbow Lodge, became operational on 1 October 2024. Retention of this respite centre’s services will be contingent on future funding considerations. Cavan-Monaghan disability services helped prepare capital submission documents for the national HSE capital and property steering committee to seek approval and funding to provide a stand-alone respite centre for adults with an intellectual disability in County Cavan.

I welcome that progress is being made on a permanent respite centre for children in Monaghan. However, I am deeply concerned by what the Minister of State referenced in relation to Rainbow Lodge, which is an interim measure. The Minister of State indicated that its future is contingent on funding. It would be completely unacceptable if Rainbow Lodge were closed before the permanent centre opened. I appeal to the Minister of State to take a hands-on approach to this. Even the new centre with five bedrooms is going to be at or above capacity on day one. I suggest it would make eminent sense for the HSE and the Department to ensure that Rainbow Lodge is maintained as a respite centre, even beyond the construction and completion of the new centre. There is huge demand for respite services. Rainbow Lodge is operating well. It is incredibly popular with users and a huge relief to the families who have benefited from it. It would make sense to maintain both respite centres into the future.

As the Deputy is aware, Rainbow Lodge is an interim children's respite centre. It came into operation on 1 October 2024. Retention of this respite centre service is contingent on future funding considerations. I take on board what the Deputy has said in relation to the new centre coming on board at the end of next year, and that there may perhaps be a gap. I take that feedback on board and will bring it back to my officials. Regarding respite services for adults and children in County Monaghan, I draw the Deputy's attention to the fact that there is also Annalee View Respite Centre. The HSE disability service in IHA Cavan Monaghan operates one respite centre directly in County Cavan, which is in the Deputy’s area. Steadfast House is an overnight respite centre in County Monaghan. It is a HSE-funded, section 39 provider, which is funded under a service agreement with the HSE to provide 1,500 respite nights per year. Following the submission and approval of additional funding in 2024, the number of respite nights increased from 840 per annum to the current level of 1,500. Mountain View Respite Centre, in County Cavan, provides services for adults with physical and sensory disabilities from both Monaghan and Cavan. It opened in November 2026.

The Minister of State said Rainbow Lodge is contingent on funding. She is the one who provides the funding. Has she allocated sufficient funding for Rainbow Lodge to operate throughout 2026? Second, Annalee View is a respite centre that operates one week for adults and one week for children. The truth of the matter is that there is a deficiency in respite places. As the Minister of State outlined, it can be a lengthy process to provide new respite services. If we have a respite centre that is up and running, and operating well, which the users love and the families think is a great service, it would be illogical to close it down. I contend that if it is closed down, at some point in the future, another Minister will have to start the process all over again. Will the Minister of State confirm that the funding is in place for 2026? Will she confirm that she will actively pursue keeping Rainbow Lodge open, even post the second and permanent respite centre being in place?

The Deputy described a deficiency in respite care in Monaghan. I assure him that the Department and the HSE are currently auditing respite services to give us better visibility of the full picture regarding the provision but also, more importantly, the need. We have additional funding next year that we sought through budget negotiations. That will be part of the HSE's national services plan that is to be published. To clarify, we will be making the decisions as to where the funding goes based on the current level of provision locally but also based on need. The Deputy has clearly outlined a case for why Monaghan needs further investment. If the HSE figures add up on that, we will absolutely be looking at it.