A motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly has called for the continuation of services run by a mental health charity in Hillsborough Castle, but Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has said it is “simply not an option”.
The motion, which was heard last week, commended the work achieved by the charity Praxis, which has been told it has to leave the premises in Hillsborough Castle as the management of the property is being taken over by Historic Royal Palaces.
This means 16 vulnerable service users with learning difficulties, who work in the garden and café at Praxis’s Secret Garden premises and who need full time care, would lose their voluntary roles.
The charity has spent £400,000 on renovation of the premises, which was derelict when it moved in. However, the terms of its license say that any money spent on the castle would not be compensated.
In response to the Assembly motion, secretary of state Theresa Villiers said that she appreciates the work of Praxis Care and its contribution to the community in Northern Ireland.
But she said: “It must be recognised that continuing the status quo at Hillsborough Castle was simply not an option.
"The Northern Ireland Office has neither the finance nor the professional expertise to manage the Castle and enable its full potential to be realised.”
Willie McAllister, director of care at Praxis, told Civil Society News that the NIO had recommended that Praxis fundraise the amount it needs to find a new property.
But McAllistair said it would take £400,000 to pay for a move, and that it would take at least a year to raise the money.
He said the Department of Health had said that it may be in a position to assist Praxis, but this may not necessarily mean financial help.
McAllistair also spoke of the huge difficulty of moving 16 vulnerable service users with complex needs and said their wellbeing would have to be paramount.
Speaking in support of the assembly motion, Michael Copeland, a member of the assembly, said: “In my view, this situation is mind-bendingly stupid, because no matter how much the papers and lawyers say that they are within their rights, they may be within their legal rights, but by no sensible person's judgement could they be held to be within their moral rights.”
