Deputy Munster welcomes Minister's decision to visit Louth on Sruthan House

Louth TD, Imelda Munster, has welcomed news that the Minister for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte TD intends to visit Louth later this month and that she hopes to arrange a meeting in Sruthán House Respite Service seeking a solution to the ongoing closure of the service.

Sruthán House has been closed since March 2020, while other similar services have reopened on a phased basis since July 2020.

In a statement to the Dundalk Democrat this afternoon, Deputy Munster said:

“I spoke to Minister Rabbitte last week and asked her to help find a solution to this issue.

“She said that on foot of my representations on this matter, she intends to visit Louth this month and she will now arrange a meeting in Sruthán House to investigate why they haven’t reopened and when they plan to do so.

“I had previously contacted her office on numerous occasions since April this year, highlighting the problems that local service users are experiencing as a result of the closure of the service. To date, the responses I received did not give any assurance on the future of the service."

"I have been contacted by a number of service-users in recent months, who have serious concerns about this, and it’s time that the matter was addressed and sorted out."

Deputy Munster added, "Sruthán House provides vital services for people in Louth, and given previous attempts to shut the service, those who use it need confirmation regarding the planned reopening date of the service.

“What we need is a cast-iron guarantee that the moment the current surge in cases has eased, that Sruthán House will be open.”