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

I thank the Deputy for her volume of questions. I will start by answering the most pressing one, which is clarity around the recruitment post.

In regard to management and administrative, the other day when I read out the list I still did not bring enough clarity to the matter. It is easier to say that the pause is on management and administrative. Though the pause is on management and administrative it is risk assessed. If one has a CDNT then one needs a CDNT manager, so there is a proposal gone into a national office for approval for that manager because a team cannot function without one, and the same applies to administrative vacancies. The Deputy is quite right when she said that services cannot function without administrative staff but we need to ensure we do not over do it and ensure we have the right proportionality. Proposals can be lodged which will be risk assessed and, as I say, a CDNT manager is a classic example because one cannot run a team without a manager. Proposals will go through the national office for approval. It is just a process. All the rest do not have a process.

The Deputy mentioned ageing parents, of which myself, the Minister and the team here are acutely aware, and the Deputy mentioned an additional requirement of €10 million. Some of that money will be used by the Department and the HSE to support and bring other resources to that ageing parent whether it is providing teatime or Saturday clubs to support first the individual but also the ageing parents. I have sought funding to address the matter. FEDVOL provided us with data following research and I think there are 2,300 people who have parents over the age of 65 years. The proposal is to bring support to all, not just to one, who wish to access it and we are putting together a plan for that.

I agree with the Deputy that there is a lack of community-based therapies. The lack is due to not having enough staff on our teams, hence we have put in place workforce planning. We have had two meetings and the third meeting will take place next week where we are working not just in a silo of ourselves within our own Department with the HSE. We are working across Departments. Everybody is at the table so as to ensure we can have a co-ordinated plan to put in place courses. As my Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has said, with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science we can create masters programmes and we can work with the Psychological Society of Ireland, PSI, on clinical placements. We are putting in place a suite of measures that addresses everything from a course in an education and training board, ETB, which is a assistant therapist course, to conversion courses and a masters course. Plus, we will work with our partners in the UK because some people who have trained as speech and language therapists there are missing a module that is necessary here, and we can remedy the situation by working with CORU. By next September, there should be a very clear pathway within our progressing disability services or PDS, which is funded by as much as €8.5 million to ensure there is a pathway put in place to work with our partners in education and the various Departments. Most importantly, we want to let the young people know there are opportunities available and we would like them to avail of them.

On the pay differential, I welcome where we are now. As part of Building Momentum in 2024, the most important piece for me is the word "alignment". There is a differential. Not all pay grades are aligned by no manner or means. Most importantly, I talk about front-line healthcare assistant where, in some cases, the difference can range between 10% and 17% in the HSE and what they are paid by various providers. That alignment piece is important for me and over time they can achieve proper alignment and equality with others.

I did not leave any money behind. I brought every last penny of it out of the Department of Health.

On €10 million for home supports and inflation, there are a range of other cost pressures arising from another increased cost associated with providing home support, inflation, pay costs, maintenance and transport costs. The funding for minor capital works from HIQA is net of time-related savings and they make up the remaining €10 million in overspend on disabilities.