Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the that the disability remit has finally, after this length of time, transferred over to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

I echo what Deputy Costello has said regarding the PDS plan. Parents have lost faith. They feel it is a failed system and they are very discouraged. I am hearing that parents are getting service statements but with no date on them as to when the services will be provided. Others are being told that it will be years but they have no date at all. They are at the end of their tether. I welcome the response given by the Minister of State but I do not believe that money is real problem here. It is about getting the staff and something has to be looked at in this regard.

I have been told that one parent was offered the use of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to obtain an assessment. The parent was informed by a regional manager in the HSE that this is being used by a number of people to gain assessments for the children in Belfast or in Poland, yet I have been told in replies to parliamentary questions that this is not happening. Perhaps the Minister of State could give some clarification on that.

A very big budget has transferred over for disability. Does this include transport schemes? I am aware that the Minister of State is heading up a committee that is looking at replacing the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant. Are the transport schemes covered under that? Hopefully, something will be introduced to replace the schemes that were suspended more than ten years ago.

In a broader sense, does the Minister of State intend to review the Disability Act 2005 to update it to a more rights-based approach?

Many, including this committee, the disability committee and the autism committee, will argue that it should be reviewed, especially the aspects of it that apply to the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act. The two Acts were supposed to work in tandem. The EPSEN Act is being reviewed but the Disability Act is not. Is the plan to review the latter?

As regards funding for services for adults in the community, it is indicated that consideration may be given to reforms as to how they are delivered. Again, I come across many adults who are not receiving any services. Yesterday I spoke to a person whose husband had a stroke a year ago at the age of 37. He is not receiving any sort of support. He has got two sessions of physiotherapy since he vacated the National Rehabilitation Hospital, where he was getting intensive support. He is a young man and needs stimulation, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. He has had no support other than the two sessions of physiotherapy. MS Ireland has a proposal, a business case, on physiotherapy. Has MS Ireland met with the Ministers, and are they looking at that proposal? It comes in at a cost of €880,000 per annum to provide physiotherapy services to people with MS and other neurological diseases such as stroke and Parkinson's. It is much needed because of the waiting lists in primary care. MS Ireland reckons that a saving of something like €19 million could be made on people not having to go to hospital because of falls and so on. It has made a good case.

I know I am asking a good many questions. If there is not time for people to provide answers now, I would welcome written replies.

As regards respite, Annaly House in Cavan was providing respite for people in Cavan and Monaghan but, because it is only one house, was operating on alternating weekends for children and adults. When it was closed due to necessary renovations, another house at Killygowan was opened. Why would Annaly House reopen? Could the two houses not have been operational, one for children and one for adults? I put the question to the HSE at an Oireachtas and health board meeting in January and was told that there was no reason, that the house was still available to them but that the funding was not provided by the Government. The reply I got to a parliamentary question on this issue stated that it was the case that new services are opening, which is very welcome, but the reply did not make reference to that, so I am wondering what the situation is in that regard.

Many services receive funding year on year based on what they received the year before. Services need multi-annual funding in order that they plan ahead because the funding is often delayed until February or March of the year before they know exactly what funding they received. At the same time, however, funding is given without any oversight as to what service was provided in the year before, so there seems to be little accountability. I would love to see multi-annual funding for services but a lot more accountability on the service provision and assurance that it is meeting the needs of those who require that service.

I am sorry, Chair. I know that is a lot of questions.