Every parent worries about their children. That does not stop when they get to 18 years of age. I know many people have spoken about meeting the Before We Die campaigners and parents, and how inspiring they are. While I have great respect for the people I have met, I would not swap with them because they have come across to me as exhausted and depressed. When the Áras na Féile respite centre in north Kerry closed, I was in a room where the parents present were almost beaten by the difficulty caused by the one bit of respite they had being removed from them. Across the county of Kerry, we have a centre in Cahersiveen which is only open 34 weekends in the year. Those facilities are there but the funding is not available to increase to weekly services or to even increase the number of weekends that facility is open. I see the statement and the circular which has been issued by the Department of housing that the local authorities will have more responsibility and they will now be building housing but I have to say the Government’s policy of increasing the number of units throughout the State is not going to make any difference. From what I have seen on the ground, there seems to be very little tie-in between the HSE capital projects and the local authorities. There should be a focus on more accommodation in town centres, close to services to help the parents of the adults with intellectual disabilities.

Sentiment score: -0.04