Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for her questions. Members and everyone watching this meeting would like to know when the transfer will take place. The Cabinet has approved the draft heads of the Bill handling the transfer. When I was asked to become Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I was asked to move the area out of the Department of Health and into the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. There is a €2.2 billion budget, so it is not as simple as walking out one door and in another. It is complex, not only in terms of staffing, but also in terms of the people whom we support, our arrangements with the HSE and our memorandums of understanding. I thank everyone for being patient and allowing us to get to the point of the Cabinet approving the draft heads of the Bill. The legislation will be drafted based on those heads and be laid before the Houses.

There are two important points to make about the transfer. First and foremost, it has not impacted whatsoever on the delivery of services. The reason we are transferring is to focus on the equality, inclusion, integration and rights pieces. We all have health issues regardless of whether we have disabilities. The area of disability is being transferred into the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to ensure we are looking at it through the lens of the UNCRPD. Our vision is to have the transfer of functions done by the end of next March and for all budgetary positions to transfer with me so that by the time I arrive in the Department, the money and staff will have transitioned across. The element that used to be in the Department of Justice has already transitioned.

Mr. Niall Brunell, who is joining me on the call remotely, is from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. In terms of the State draft report, decision support services and the legislation's drafting, I am operating as a Minister of State within two Departments. I have functions within the Department of Health but I am operating within the other Department through the lens of inclusion and integration and with a view to people with disabilities. March is the deadline and funding is coming but services have not been impacted. We and the HSE have a good working relationship and the memorandum of understanding is being prepared. The complexity of this will see two Ministers liaising with the HSE on the delivery of services in future. It is a smooth transition and I can see it all happening. To date, everyone has worked well together.

If I had transitioned on the first day, I would have missed the opportunity to understand the integrated role and value of primary care as well as the role of aids and appliances and the complexities in that respect. That is what I have learned. Once my memorandum of understanding is approved, I will be transitioning in the full knowledge of what we cannot leave out.