Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept what the Minister of State said about New Directions proposing a menu of 12 individualised, outcome-focused supports that will provide adults with disabilities with the support necessary to live a life of their choosing.

This is the critical issue - that the supports provided will be of the recipients' choosing and will be individualised and outcome-focused. The difficulty for individuals and service providers is that, in their experience, adequate resources are not being made available to tailor customised programmes based on the menu of 12 supports.

Will the Minister of State give a commitment that the necessary funding will be put in place and where there are difficulties arising from the moratorium on staff recruitment, that those issues will be addressed in some way? We are looking potentially at an additional 700 people requiring support next year. The current level of provision to service providers is insufficient to deliver the menu of individual courses and training places. People are concerned that by this time next year, they will still be without placements.

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