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

I will start with some of the good news regarding respite care in south Leitrim. The Deputy was there that day. We were very fortunate that when we all sat around the table we could find solutions. The solutions were within the Sligo site. Everybody was pleased about that. My understanding is that one of those houses is being worked on as we speak. The HSE told me it would be January, but we agreed that day that the site had to happen at the end of the year. I am still working to that target of the end of the year. There are two houses there and it would be dreadful not to use both houses, to be honest. It still would not be a congregated setting by any manner or means. We must actively pursue that, and it is ongoing as we speak. It is important to acknowledge the work of Edel Quinn that day, who was prepared to be agile and pragmatic in her approach to finding a solution. That was fantastic.

The comprehensive employment strategy is going into its third iteration. I take this opportunity to thank the board and the team. They have given endless hours to trying to make this work. There is no denying that we are an outlier so as part of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, ADMC, we are going to put it in legislative terms that the public sector has to go from 3% to 6%. That will be a positive step change. The other piece is the ability programme. I have seen some very positive work in the ability programme since I took office. It is not just a particular location but is supporting 2,400 people across the country. That falls under the funding of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. This is the cross-government and cross-Department piece again. It is a really good model and it is one we need to retain and expand. It comes under the LEADER side of things and is really good.

The rural social scheme, Tús and the community employment scheme are now open to taking persons with disability allowance, which also is a step change. As there were many barriers there, I acknowledge the Department for listening and responding to that. On the childcare sector and other Departments, to be clear education is not my brief but as it impacts children with disabilities, I must have a knowledge of it to see how we can find solutions. The Department of Education funds early years providers. I talked to the Play and Language Support, PALS, Preschool again about it. Everyone must have a Teaching Council number. They also need childcare qualifications. They are regulated by Tusla. Without places such as PALS, we would not support children with autism in earlier years. We need to look at that model, how we can expand it and invest more into it. It is a fantastic model. It is delivering on the July provision. We need to work across all Departments. The Departments of Education, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Health need to work together on the delivery of care.

We will hopefully address the cost of disability soon. Last week in the Dáil, I gave a commitment to do so within three or four weeks and I hope to follow through on that.