Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)

The issue of domiciliary care allowance has attracted much attention in recent weeks and I welcome the opportunity to highlight aspects of the current situation which have been deliberately misrepresented. I unequivocally reject the charges made in this House that the Government is targeting children with autism. It is a tasteless and cheap charge designed to whip up people's fears and it ignores the positive progress made in this area since we entered office one year ago.

Some of these progressive measures include a commitment by the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly recently to allocate €2 million in additional funding for early detection and treatment services for people with autism over the next two years; Ireland's first ever international conference on autism took place in Galway in January; the opening of the State's first dedicated research centre into autism in February; the publication of the HSE's national review of autism services in February, the recommendations of which will be implemented shortly.

Earlier today I raised a Topical Issue matter in the House about the need to introduce autism-specific laws in this country. I was pleased to be informed that some positive moves are afoot in this regard. Therefore, the charge that the this Government is not steadfastly committed to assisting children with autism is disingenuous.

The protection of children is a critical issue for this Administration. The motion expresses a concern for children's needs and welfare and in that context it is to be welcomed. There is no doubt that all parties in this House agree that there is a need to ensure that State services, such as the social welfare system, adequately respond to children's needs. Lest anyone question the Government's broader commitment to the protection of children in the State, I remind the House that the children's rights referendum which will take place later this year in order to change the current situation whereby the Constitution does not contain an explicit reference to children's rights, which in the view of experts, works against the welfare of vulnerable young people. Unlike successive Governments who dragged their feet on this issue, this Government is taking the matter firmly in hand and is taking decisive action. However, we cannot ignore the fact that many parents of children with autism, children who require extra care, supervision and attention, feel they are being confronted with an increasing amount of obstacles in their efforts to receive or to retain domiciliary care allowance. It is never pleasant to have to reject any appeal but we are operating within an extremely strained climate of limited public finances and unfortunately, for every entitlement there is a rigorous evaluation process.

Critically, the number of domiciliary care allowance payments has steadily increased over the years as the claim system has made the transition from the Department of Health to the Department of Social Protection. In 2001, over 11,000 claims for payment were made and this had risen to over 23,000 in 2009, at the time the Minister's Department took over the scheme. The number of payments has since increased further to the current position whereby 26,000 claims are in payment. From the outset, there have been no cuts made to the domiciliary care allowance scheme in recent budgets and the rate of payments remain at €309.50 per month.

On the anniversary of 100 days in office, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste gave a commitment that the budget for 2012 would not see a reduction in basic rates of social welfare. The efforts made by this Government to ensure that basic rates of social welfare were maintained need to be acknowledged.

The window for returning a medical review form has been extended under the Minister's remit from 21 to 60 days, in response to concerns from parents. Last year, 46% of the 2,420 appeals against rejection were successful. I welcome the Minister's ongoing review into the scheme which is considering whether the current system is appropriate in terms of processing applications and medical guidelines. It illustrates how the Minister and the Government are willing to listen to the concerns, be they from civic society groups, people on the ground or political parties. The policy review intends to clarify its objectives, consider whether legislative change is required and consider whether the current administrative and medical processes need further refinement. Along with my colleagues I will be supporting the Government amendment to the motion. It is essential that we recognise this Government's commitment to children with special needs or otherwise. It is a commitment dear to the hearts of members of this Administration.

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