Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I seem to be going slightly over time on these matters. I genuinely do not mean to do so. I know we are stuck for time. The value for money report, which was carried out by the Department of Health, took approximately two years. It was very difficult to get the type of information that was necessary on the services that are being delivered and the cost per unit of those services. We needed to be very sensitive because one does not want to categorise people as "unit costs". Nevertheless, when an audit of this scale is being undertaken - we are talking about €1.4 billion here - there is a clear need for it to be broken down in such a way. The value for money implementation group is really getting under the bonnet in terms of the money that is spent and how it is delivered. It is also involved in the personalised planning that will have to accompany the capacity legislation. Such planning will deal with how to disentangle the people's preferred choices in terms of service, for example. I have never denied that various agencies and groups of people have delivered services that the State did not deliver. They are delivering those services on behalf of the people of Ireland. In the main, they are doing an extraordinarily good job. I include the two agencies mentioned by Deputy Connaughton in that.

I will read out the prepared answer. If the Deputy wants to have a wider discussion at a later stage, I will not have a problem with that. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am pleased to take this opportunity to outline the current position regarding the funding provided by the Government for disability services this year. The vision for the HSE disability services programme is to contribute to the realisation of a society where people with disabilities are supported, as far as possible, to participate to their full potential in economic and social life and have access to a range of quality personal social supports and services to enhance their quality of life. The HSE national service plan for 2014 and the accompanying operational plan for the social care division outline the quantum of specialist disability services, the key reform initiatives and the additional investment in 2014. The HSE has assured us that these plans will give effect to this vision in 2015.

The HSE will spend €1.4 billion and employ approximately 15,000 whole-time equivalents to provide specified service levels in 2014. An additional investment of €14 million in 2014 has been made to address deficits in disability services, to deal with a reform programme that will transform services to a community-based model of person-centred supports and to focus on the implementation of the HIQA standards for residential services for people with disabilities. Value for money efficiency targets of €5 million were identified this year in the national service plan. In order to arrive at a fair and equitable allocation of these efficiency targets, the social care division of the HSE has been assessing the capability of the voluntary disability providers to implement the necessary measures. In recognition of the amount of time that is required to complete this work, I understand that just 50% of the 2014 requirement, or €2.5 million, is being assigned to agencies this year. We are doing that because we understand there will be difficulties in the transformation we need.

The matter raised by the Deputy - the provision of funding to Ability West and the Brothers of Charity services in Galway - is relevant to this overall efficiency target. Ability West is funded by the HSE under section 39 of the Health Act 2004 through a service arrangement. The 2014 budget allocated by the HSE amounted to €21.7 million. This year, Ability West will have its budget reduced by €156,600, partly in line with efficiency targets under value for money but also through savings achieved by implementation of the Haddington Road agreement, by which we must all abide. The Brothers of Charity services in Galway are funded by the HSE under section 38 of the Health Act 2004. Services are provided through a service arrangement which is signed on an annual basis and reviewed continually.

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The agency was allocated funding of more than €44 million in 2014. This year, Brothers of Charity Galway will have its budget reduced by €88,000 - not double Ability West's, but just over half - in line with efficiency targets set out under the VFM report. I have been assured that the HSE will continue to work with both disability agencies to ensure that efficiencies are achieved without impacting on service provision.

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