Disability Services
Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-28
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Colm Brophy (FG), Dublin South-West

I thank Senator Rabbitte on behalf of myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, for raising this issue. I know it is an issue the Senator is committed to and she has made a clear and strong advocacy there.
The Minister of State is fully committed to providing the necessary supports for people with disabilities throughout the country, including those in Galway. She wishes to advise the Deputy that the Toghermore House site in Tuam, which is owned and operated by the HSE, is under review. The Senator was asking for an update, so I hope this covers it for her. In 2024, a HSE feasibility study was conducted and, following on from this work, a more in-depth health planning study was devised to provide greater detail. The HSE has additionally advised the Minister of State that it aims to have a specialist appointed in February 2026 to commence the study and will encompass the entire campus, including the building. Development of infrastructural proposals, which the Senator talked about so elegantly, cannot be progressed until this review has concluded.
The HSE is engaging with Galway County Council. A meeting was held between Ms Ann Cosgrove, the integrated healthcare area manager, and Mr. Liam Hanrahan, CEO of Galway County Council, on 4 June 2025. I am informed that a follow-up meeting was held between the HSE and the county council and that another meeting is planned by the parties in the coming days before the end of this month.
At present, the HSE continues to utilise facilities on the grounds of Toghermore House for a number of services.
These are: national counselling services, mental health services, quality and risk, paediatric outpatients, HR and administration support.
In addition, a building at Toghermore campus has been temporarily licensed by the HSE to the Office of Public Works for the use of the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam. The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam, is a time-bound agency under the auspices of the Department overseeing the excavation, recovery, analysis, identification 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 the requirements of the Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention. The works are also addressing essential structural issues, for example, works on the roof, and upgrades to mechanical and electrical installations.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:33+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-28