Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent)

Is there a formal process for engagement with disabled persons' organisations and the follow-up across Departments? How might they be resourced?

There was a matter of insourcing within the HSE that came out on the news this morning. Will that announcement affect the delivery of services if there is to be any investigation or suspension of services? I appreciate it is early in the day and the Minister of State may not be able to give any information.

Are respite and alternative respite entirely at the HSE's discretion? Alternatively, if they provide data on the importance, suitability and positive outcomes of, for example, music therapy, equine therapy, drama, art therapies, etc., can the Department direct based on data that the funding it receives for respite must be provided for certain areas?

One of pillars of the disability strategy relates to transport. Has there been engagement with the transport providers such as, for example, Bus Éireann? I happen to have a meeting organised for councillors from County Meath with Bus Éireann tomorrow.

Can I get feedback on recruitment and retention? The CORU fee is seen by some as a barrier. It is €500 for speech and language. Is there anything that can be done on that? Something that I flagged previously is that Ulster University by comparison with the bursary scheme here, offer rent free and a relocation package.

There is a substantial amount in sterling for students from ETBs to move forward to pursue their college courses. I am just flagging it to add to the wish list.

We discussed the possibility of a toolkit in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism while the recruitment drive takes place and to support parents, children and teenagers to pull all of the resources together. The resources include the Enable Ireland website, the spelling to communicate method, applied behaviour analysis, ABA, the partnering in occupational therapy telehealth services, POTTS, programme, which is for dyspraxia and was developed with the University of Ulster, etc. For the previous five or six years, I have funded things locally myself out of my salary such as workshops for parents with OTs, dieticians and for emotional well-being, etc. Is there scope for something like that to be mainstreamed to gather data to provide evidence? I have said to anybody who I have worked with that they should gather their evidence, build anonymous case files and have it ready in the event it might be sought. Where can we go with that?