Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the witnesses for their brave, strong and compelling testimonies.

I have had the opportunity to engage with Mr. Harris on several occasions previously, but it has been really good, and humbling, to listen to all the other witnesses this morning. I totally agree with the comments of Mr. Doyle in respect of intellectual disability and autism being the one sector that can be pre-planned within the Department of Health and, obviously, the Department of Education. It is infuriating that there is a lack of planning in that regard, particularly in the context of transitioning into second level or after a person turns 18. I spent two hours yesterday with the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science trying to address that funding gap. It was previously the case that some programmes were paid for by the Department of Health but it is now saying the funding should come from the Department of Education, while the Department of Education is saying the funding should come through education and training boards, ETBs. Only five ETBs have signed up for this, and they are the ETBs in Dublin, so the rest of the country has a two-year gap in funding for vocational and educational training programmes for young adults with intellectual disability. It is really frustrating. I completely agree on the need for future planning and multi-annual budgeting.

I note the section of Mr. Doyle's written submission in respect of the 1,250 people who are supported in the family home by a primary carer over the age of 70, with 400 of them being supported by a primary carer over the age of 80. There is a significant need for that to be considered.

Ms Mullan referred to the particular challenges faced by people with disabilities in rural Ireland, particularly in the context of transport. There certainly needs to be a stronger link between Irish Rural Link and health and educational services, etc. It is an excellent service that can help to address the challenge that exists but we need to be able to co-ordinate it with those services.

Mr. McLoughlin discussed the fact that the transition from the educational model to the adult disability service lacks coherence. That is certainly something I and other members are finding an awful lot. We have seen how difficult it is for parents to assess the range of options that are available. I ask Mr. McLoughlin to elaborate on that issue. What recommendations does he believe are needed?

As regards gathering data, data are needed for planning. The intellectual disability database is available and it is very helpful in informing services. It involves data being gathered when a baby is born and it is recognised that the baby has an intellectual disability. That is very recognisable in the case of a person who has Down's syndrome, for example, but I am disturbed to learn that when a person is diagnosed with autism or an intellectual disability, that is not captured. I would have thought such data would be gathered in another database that could be aligned with the intellectual disability database or there would be a provision to add persons who are diagnosed. It is not about labelling people; it is just to be able to provide the services that are needed in terms of co-ordinating educational opportunities and transport, which we discussed, and just being part of a community and society. I invite whichever of our guests wishes to respond to come in on those issues.