Disability Matters: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-22 ============================================================ Mike Kennelly (FG), Labour Panel I thank the Minister of State and welcome her. I, too, attended the disability matters committee this morning, and the health committee, and I too was taken aback by the pain that all the individuals and advocate groups are going through. However, I recommend and testify to the work that Deputy Higgins is doing as Minister of State in her new role. I am going to speak specifically, in three minutes flat if I can, about respite for the people of Kerry. The two ladies who spoke at the committee meeting this morning, Josephine Keane from Causeway and Jacqueline Riordan, are advocates for parents in really dire situations owing to the lack of respite. One lady in particular, Jean O'Sullivan, whom I mentioned at the meeting, is really the spiritual leader behind all the parents in these sticky situations over respite. Her son is one of those in St. Francis School, which he attends. It is on the campus of St. Mary of the Angels. He is on his way home this evening, having spent three weeks in Crumlin hospital. I wanted to keep these people in everyone's thoughts this evening. The reason I am speaking is to highlight the ongoing and deeply concerning gaps in disability services in Kerry, particularly regarding respite provision for adults with complex needs. Families across Kerry have made it clear that the current level of support is nowhere near what is required. There are only eight HSE-provided adult respite beds across north and south Kerry, supplemented by six beds from the Kerry Parents and Friends Association. For children, the situation is even more stark, with just eight respite beds available for the entire county. These numbers simply do not reflect the need. Parents caring for adults with severe and profound disabilities provide 24-hour care, seven days a week, often where there are significant medical and behavioural complexities. Many of these families report exhaustion, limited sleep and no capacity to work outside the home. Siblings' needs frequently become secondary, and what most consider normal family life is often impossible. Respite is not a luxury; it is an essential support that allows families to continue caring for their loved ones at home. For the individuals themselves, respite provides opportunities to socialise, develop independence, participate in age-appropriate activities and avail of opportunities they are entitled to. It must also be said that the extraordinary advocacy and involvement of people like Jean O'Sullivan, whom I have just mentioned, and her husband, Councillor Teddy O'Sullivan Casey in Kerry, has for far too long fallen on deaf ears. Such families have repeatedly raised the alarm. They have offered solutions and spoken from lived experience. Looking ahead, the need is only increasing. A cohort of young adults are leaving St. Francis Special School in Beaufort, County Kerry. Michael, whom I have mentioned, is one of those. The young adults' families are facing a future with no appropriate respite options. Without intervention, most families will reach breaking point, and the State will face a growing demand for full-time residential placements and placements that could be avoided by having timely, well-designed respite supports. I have highlighted this area. There is a clear opportunity at St. Mary of Angels. It is in Beaufort, in mid-Kerry, the most idyllic place in the country. A strategic plan is currently on the plate. Parents strongly support the creation of a centre of excellence for respite care at this location, one that can deliver specialist, age-appropriate and medically supported respite for adults with complex needs. Such a model would not interfere with existing residents or national decongregation policy and could provide a sustainable future-focused solution. What Kerry families are asking for is very straightforward: an increase in the number of respite beds across the county, purpose-built services capable of meeting complex care needs, and a centralised specialist model that provides meaningful opportunities for adults with disabilities. I have raised this before, even with the Tánaiste. The good news is that he is to visit Kerry, including the centre. I am looking for something that can be delivered for the families. A mother I was on to this morning is actually getting no sleep. She is getting no respite. If she does not get it, she might not be available to deliver the care her son needs. I look forward to working with the Minister of State and I really look forward to the initiatives she underlined today, which will see €25 million and 25,000 additional day respite sessions during the course of this year. The centre down in Kerry involves an easy ask. There is an open door. If we can just work with it, we can really make life a lot easier for the families. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-22/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-22