Healthcare Infrastructure Provision Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19 ============================================================ Mike Kennelly (FG), Labour Panel I welcome Austin and his family to the House. I followed Austin’s heroics out at sea, from where he swam back in. A triathlon was mentioned by the Acting Chair. Austin was very brave. The Irishness came out through him. He was never going to give up, and he did not give in. We acknowledge that today. I hope the Cathaoirleach and the State in some way acknowledge Austin's bravery. I also welcome Deputy David Maxwell, who is with the family. Well done, Austin. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I raise this matter to seek a clear and up-to-date position on the long-awaited opening of the new 130-bed community nursing unit in Killarney, County Kerry. This will mean real security for elderly people in Killarney and the Kerry area. It is a state-of-the-art facility designed to replace the St. Columbanus home and Killarney Community Hospital. It represents one of the most significant investments in services for older people in the region. I congratulate the Minister of State on the work he has put into this since I made contact with him in the past couple of months. He has shown a never-ending desire to get this to fruition. Construction has been completed, the building has been handed over and the community has been repeatedly assured that the opening is, as we say, around the corner. Yet, despite these assurances, residents, families and staff still do not have a definite timeline for when the first patients will be transferred. They are waiting anxiously for what will be the jewel in the crown of services for older people in Kerry. I am asking for three points of clarification today. First, can the Minister of State provide the latest update on the opening date of the unit? When is HIQA expected to complete its assessment? Can the Minister of State confirm that HIQA registration is the final step before opening? Second, can he confirm whether there are any outstanding staffing issues? While the HSE has stated that workforce planning is under way, there are concerns locally in the county about recruitment pauses and the impact this may have on opening the unit on a phased basis. We need clarity on whether staffing is fully in place. Will the Minister of State clarify what is meant by the opening of the unit on a phased basis? Third, is the facility now fully furnished, equipped and clinically ready for occupation? Are all of the necessary beds, medical equipment, assistive technologies and dementia-specific supports installed, tested and operational? Given his role as Minister of State with responsibility for older persons, I ask Deputy O'Donnell to outline what are the future plans for the St. Columbanus home and Killarney Community Hospital once the new Killarney community nursing unit opens. These buildings are significant public assets. A minor injuries unit is planned for one section of the St. Columbanus property. It will cater for people with less serious injuries - fractures, strains, burns, etc. - rather than those people being obliged to travel to UHK and clog up the accident and emergency department. What options are being considered for the remainder of these properties? They are public and could be valuably used going forward in the context of the Minister of State's directorate. This project has been years in the making. The people of Killarney and Kerry and the staff and the residents who will call this unit their new home deserve certainty about the opening. --- 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/2026-05-19/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-19