Dr. Alison Harnett:

I thank the Senator. I might bring my colleague Teresa Mallon in on this part of the discussion, if that is okay. I will go a little bit backwards on the Senator's point before I ask Teresa to support me in this one. The Senator has mentioned the delivery of New Directions from 2012 onwards. I think we want to acknowledge a few things. I do not think the policy has been a failure. I think that one of the only areas of really strong investment in disability services over the last ten years has been for school leavers coming into day services. We must acknowledge the very good work that has been done to make that happen. I also think it has been a demonstration of the commitment of the voluntary sector. I think it was in 2012 - it was one of the years during the economic downturn when there really was no funding - that the voluntary services in disability got together with the HSE and agreed that they would take the school leavers of that year without funding. That is a sign of the commitment of the voluntary sector and the collaborative working that can happen.

There are some really positive and exciting possibilities that are coming about, particularly with the focus that the new Department is able to bring to disability. I know that next week, there is a consultation on the development of the new UNCRPD implementation plan. I would see a new outcomes-focused implementation plan being really central to getting to what the Senator is talking about, which is having the person at the centre based on their outcomes and rights. We need to have some of those sustainability issues addressed to make that real in people's lives. I know that Teresa is sitting on the development of the outcomes-focused monitoring group that has been set up and will have something to say about that. She will also speak about some of the challenges and frustrations that we have, particularly with regard to areas like supported employment, where we know we could be doing much better for people but the structure is not there to support it at the moment.

There are reasons for hope and reasons for frustration. I think we need to balance that more collaboratively towards a better outcome. We are not where we want to be. The stability of the sector is definitely a challenge that is impacting on that. We want to develop rights-based supports and have people integrated in their communities to the greatest extent possible. With that, I might hand over to Teresa, if that is okay.