Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I accept the point about public duty across all the Departments. I strongly stress that we all have a public and civic duty in respect of disabilities. All Departments have to take responsibility in that regard. I have been monitoring the Departments over the past seven or eight months and some of them have an excellent track record in including people with disabilities and also in progressing them. For example, the Departments of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Health have an excellent record in terms of their vision and strategy. They are listening to people with disabilities. I consider them examples of good practice. To take a simple example involving the arts and the disabilities sectors, there is a huge movement in the disability sector towards involvement with the arts. The funding from the State is not coming from the Department of Health but through the Arts Council. There is much radical change taking place and many examples of good practice. The same is happening with employment too. Some Departments have an excellent record. All Departments have a target of 3%, but I am asking them to try to get it up to 6%. Already, some Departments and sections of public services are up to 3.6% and 3.7% in terms of employing people with disabilities. These developments are happening.

The housing issue mentioned by Senator Dolan is very important and we must deal with it. I have made many detailed representations to the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney. I have visited many community housing projects, and I intend to develop that. The Senator is right that we need more social and affordable housing for people with disabilities and we must ensure they are included in the housing plans. My objective is to ensure that happens.

Regarding the question about personal assistants, I accept there was some confusion around the time of the budget and the launch of the services. However, we should consider what happened in 2016. In the national service plan for 2016 the HSE priority was to provide 1.3 million hours of personal assistant services. However, it exceeded expected activity level for personal assistant hours by approximately 200,000 hours. In 2017, the HSE expects to deliver 1.4 million personal assistant hours, which is an increase of 100,000 hours on the 2016 target, to 2,357 adults with a physical or sensory disability. In the HSE's national service plan for 2016 the priority was to provide 2.6 million hours to more than 7,300 people with disabilities. The actual number of home supports provided in 2016 is very important. In the national service plan for 2017, the executive expects to deliver 2.75 million home support hours to more than 7,400 people with disability. This is an increase of 150,000 hours over last year's target. This reflects the responsive nature of personal home assistant support services.

With regard to the actions taken by the Department of Health to support independent living, I am working closely with the Department on this.

We have set up the task force on personalised budgets. This will give people with disabilities more control over the budgets and, I hope, more personal assistance hours as well. I know this will not affect all members of the disability community but it will affect between 8% and 11% of them.

Senator Dolan made a point about shaving. I am keen to point out strongly that there will be no shaving of disability services. The idea is to invest and reform. That is my plan for the coming years.