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

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the committee about the budget for disability services in 2024 and the important work it is funding. The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities that will allow them to live ordinary lives in ordinary places, in line with commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The priority for the Government for 2024 will be the enhancement of person-centred supports and services, supporting the progressive roll-out of the action plan for disability services and implementing the roadmap for children's disability services.

In recent years, significant resources have been invested in disability services. This is reflected in the budget for disabilities services, which has increased from €1.7 billion at the close of 2017 to €2.9 billion in 2024. The additional funding allocation of €272 million for 2024 demonstrates the Government's strong commitment to building capacity in this area. The allocation for 2024 includes €74 million for new developments, which will help to provide: 100 extra residential places for children and adults; 125 extra therapy assistant positions for CDNTs; 1,250 to 1,400 further day services places for next year's school leavers; an increase of 80,000 hours in the provision of personal assistance; development of further respite provision; and development of capacity for community neurorehabilitation teams.

Though the extra funding in budget 2024 is welcome, we know there is more to do, which is why we have developed a comprehensive action plan to help improve and expand services out to 2026. I was delighted to launch the plan along with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the CEO of the HSE in December of last year. The action plan contains a range of actions designed to increase both service capacity and our forward-planning capability, but it will take time for the plan to come to fruition and give us comprehensive coverage in terms of meeting extant need. The action plan represents the first phase of work required in order to begin addressing the capacity deficits in the Disability Capacity Review to 2032. As such, it contains further enabling actions designed to begin the necessary groundwork which will help position us to make further capacity increases in 2025 and 2026, as well as in the successor plan which will follow in 2027.

Working in tandem with the action plan is a roadmap for service improvement in children's services. The roadmap contains a set of actions that, collectively, will enhance children's disability services in Ireland. They include significant measures to integrate and improve access to services, expand the workforce and advance better communication and engagement with families. This is a crucial area that will receive close attention this year and, as I have already mentioned, will be supported by extra funding to hire 125 extra therapy assistants in 2024.

As the committee will be aware, a number of budgetary pressures arose in this area in 2023 and they were addressed through a Supplementary Estimate. In response to this, a significant existing level of service, ELS, provision of €198 million was made in the disability budget for 2024. I am conscious, however, that some pressures will persist this year. In that context, part of our programme of improvement post transfer involves implementing better controls and oversight of spending to ensure we are providing the vital community services for people with disabilities while responsibly and effectively managing public moneys. This will be an important objective for me and the Department's officials for the year ahead.

This is a period of transition and transformation for community disability services, following the transfer of functions last March. I committed to seizing this opportunity in order that it makes a real, tangible difference in the lives of people with disabilities.