Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue and also welcome the comments of the Minister in regard to the joined-up thinking that needs to happen in dealing with and meeting the needs of children, an approach for which I have long advocated. With the publication of child protection legislation we see that each Department now has a role and responsibility in this regard. This is the kind of different thinking and service-led approach we must endeavour to pursue in order to meet the needs of children, in particular those with special needs.

The statistics from the Department of Social Protection show that throughout the island of Ireland the domiciliary care allowance supports 24,000 families and 26,000 children at a cost of more than €100 million a year. Since the Department of Social Protection took over the scheme from the HSE in April of 2009, as mentioned by the Minister, this move takes children with special needs out of a medicalised model and treats them as individuals with individual needs. The Department of Social Protection is best-placed to continue to administer this payment, rather than transferring the responsibility back to the Department of Health.

It is worth remembering that in spite of reductions in expenditure on social protection there have been no cuts in the level of spending on domiciliary care allowance although savings have had to be made across a wide range of other areas in order to meet with the cost savings required as a result of the legacy of destruction left by the Fianna Fáil-led Administration. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, mentioned this last night, but it is important to point it out again because it was raised in the House by a number of Deputies.

Every Deputy present is fully aware of the situation because of the kind of work that comes across our desks in our constituencies. It concerns reviews, the time they take and the short window parents have in their engagement with the Department. Reviews are an unfortunate if necessary evil but we must allow adequate time for a review to take place. To this end the Department of Social Protection has taken a number of steps to improve communication with parents and guardians. Every Member, across the House, will welcome this as we know the criticism often levelled against big bureaucracy, namely, its inability to access accurate and timely information. For example, the parents and guardians concerned are now being told by the Department of Social Protection the review date that will apply in their case after their claim is initially awarded. They are also given 60 days in which to find and return evidence for the review. This will address some of the concerns about the timeframe allowed and will provide extra time to gather supporting documentation and medical reports they wish to submit in advance of the review.

The Minister for Social Protection has instructed her Department to work with all the other relevant Departments, Health, Education and Skills, and Children and Youth Affairs, each of which has a role in providing supports and services for families and children with special needs. These Departments are to work together to map the availability of services and examine the scope for greater linkage and consistency in the assessment for such supports and services. This is a much overdue reform, one that will give us a working integrated Government that does not work in independent silos and allow children's needs to fall between the cracks. This is a welcome development.

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