Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick East, Fine Gael)

The fact that I speak tonight is a clear indication that this is a national problem. I speak specifically on behalf of the parents of young adults who attend St. Vincent's in Lisnagry, County Limerick. The service providers, the Daughters of Charity, have been forced to write to parents. Nine young adults are involved, three of them school leavers, the other six finishing a rehabilitative training course. I have a letter dated 25 June and I have no doubt that many such letters have been sent to parents of children with an intellectual disability because the service providers were not informed by the HSE that they can go ahead and recruit staff. The letter states, in part:

The Daughters of Charity have applied for funding to the Health Service Executive in order to provide the appropriate adult day service for your daughter this year. Unfortunately, funding has not been released and, as a result, the Daughters of Charity are concerned that we may not be in a position to offer new services in 2008. Therefore we cannot guarantee a service for your daughter in September. The HSE is fully aware of our inability to provide additional services without additional funding.

I put a question to the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I am glad to see that the Minister of State with responsibility for the disabilities area, Deputy John Moloney, is in the House tonight. It is appropriate that he is here and I am glad that he recognises the seriousness of the situation.

I asked the Minister to clarify that multi-annual funding for the disability sector promised in the programme for Government is to be fulfilled in 2008. I got a reply just over a month ago which stated: "The Government has fulfilled its promise in relation to the 2008 element of the multi-annual investment programme 2006-2009 by allocating additional funding of €50 million to the HSE's 2008 budget".

That is not true. The funding has not been allocated. The Government must put its money where its mouth is. I understand from my soundings that the Department of Health and Children is engaged in discussions with the HSE regarding how the €50 million will be spent. I require an explanation from the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, who has responsibility for the disability sector. Is the Department of Health and Children using this issue as no more than an exercise in cash management? Will the Government come forward and provide the funding? The Minister of State's constituency colleague, the Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, has repeatedly said that he has a personal commitment to people with disabilities. Where is it?

In the instance I raised, concerning the Daughters of Charity at St. Vincent's in Lisnagry, three of the nine young adults left school last Friday. They have no future and do not know where they stand and neither do their parents. Furthermore, the other six young adults who will finish their rehabilitative training programme this month are in a similar situation. The Government must put its money where its mouth is. This is an appalling situation.

I understand the HSE's national disability steering group was to meet today to discuss this issue. I hope the Minister will be able to state the HSE will provide the funding. I hope he is aware of what happened at the meeting because what is occurring is absolutely disgraceful and appalling. I want to be able to tell the parents and young adults associated with the Daughters of Charity Service for Persons with Intellectual Disability, St. Vincent's, Lisnagry, that the Daughters of Charity can proceed with recruiting the staff. I refer to two care workers, one nurse and one programme supervisor. A capital allocation of €120,000 is required to enable certain of the buildings on the campus to be adapted in order to provide the adult services.

I have written to Seamus McNulty, the assistant national director who is responsible for disability services in the HSE. I expect the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, will honour the commitment the Government made at budget time to provide the €50 million to one of the most vulnerable sectors of society. We should not have to be here tonight. The Daughters of Charity, along with many other service providers for the intellectually disabled, should be recruiting at present and should be able to tell the parents and young adults that they will be availing of proper adult day care services from 1 September. I want to hear a positive response from the Minister of State.

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