Government will do 'anything reasonable within its power' to secure Bessborough services and jobs
The Taoiseach says the government will do "anything reasonable within its power" to secure the family support services and jobs at the Bessborough family centre in Cork which is facing closure within months.
But Leo Varadkar ruled out on constitutional grounds a suggestion from Solidarity TD Mick Barry of the nationalisation without compensation of the 40-acre campus which is owned by a religious order.
Mr Barry raised the issue in the Dáil just days after the land’s owners, the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a congregation of nuns based in London, indicated that they hope to withdraw from the operation of its family centre by the end of the year.
The nuns, who also ran the notorious former mother and baby home on the same site, told family centre staff last week that they are now trying to find a “new service provider” that will have the capacity to continue the support services work at a different location.
The announcement leaves the centre's 105 staff and the 50 families they support every week in limbo.
Mr Barry described it as a “test-case” for the state and he urged the government to act to secure the jobs and services.
“Religious orders are selling up, not just in Bessborough but in other locations across the country - selling land, selling buildings - having a detrimental impact on state-funded services,” he said.
“This is a litmus test for the government. Are you going to stand up for the interests of our people or are you going to bend the knee once more to the religious orders?
“Nationalisation is not unknown. It was done with the banks. There would be widespread support among ordinary people for the seizure of those lands without compensation, guaranteeing jobs and services and opening real discussions with survivor groups.”
Mr Varadkar said it is important to acknowledge the contribution of religious orders over many years to the provision of health, education and social services long before the state was willing to enter those areas, and he cautioned against using this situation as an opportunity to “gratuitously bash” religious orders.
“Yes, they’ve done a lot of things wrong in the past but we should acknowledge a lot of the good that they did as well in providing healthcare, educational and social services," he said.
“This is going to have to be a matter of negotiation involving the owners, the service providers and of course government and our objective in doing so will be to ensure that services are protected, that those who use those services are protected and that jobs are protected as well.
“We will do anything reasonable within our power to make sure that the family services there, the jobs there, and those who use those services are protected.”
He plans to seek a detailed report on the issue over the coming days.
