“I met today (11 July) with the families of the school leavers affected and heard their concerns for the future of their family member. I assured them that I am committed to finding a satisfactory solution for these young people by the time they are due to start their day service placements in September.

“There is significant ongoing effort by the local disability team in HSE CHO DNCC (Dublin North City and County) to identify service placements for this group of school leavers. It is critical that suitable pathways are found for these young people as they make the transition into adult services, and we will leave no stone unturned in finding appropriate alternatives.

"Continuity is so important for the young people and families involved and I'm keen to see this sense of routine restored. There has been unnecessary stress and upset put on families and that's simply not fair. It was clear from today's meeting that communications have undoubtedly been poor from both the HSE and St Michael's House and I've been reassured that clearer communications to families will be central to the work being done to resolve this over the coming weeks."