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

I appreciate the question but before I read the formal reply I should say that the budget for services, which is the focus of the Deputy's question, has not been cut. As a matter of fact there has been an increase.

The Government currently provides funding of approximately €1.5 billion to the disability services programme through the Health Service Executive's national service plan for 2015. The HSE aims to ensure that the resources available are used to best effect, in order to provide assessment and ongoing therapy to children and adults in line with their prioritised needs. However, it is acknowledged that current waiting lists for some therapeutic supports are high. We are coming from a very low base.

In 2013, additional funding of €20 million was provided to strengthen primary care services. This comprised €18.5 million for the recruitment of more than 260 primary care team posts and more than €1.4 million to support community intervention team development. In 2014, the roll-out of theProgressing Disability Services for Children and Young People programme entailed targeted investment of €4 million and the provision of 80 additional therapy posts, to improve services for children with all disabilities. As of 30 April 2015, a total of 47 of the 2014 posts have been filled, a further 20 are at the stage of "post accepted" and the process is ongoing for the remaining posts. A further €4 million allocation was announced in 2015 to continue work on this programme. I am confident that the additional resources being invested in both primary care and disability services will have a positive impact on the provision of clinical services to all children with disabilities, including those who may currently be on waiting lists to access therapy inputs.

Deputy Keaveney probably knows better than I that we are coming from a low base. The difficulty is that we are building up a system in order to ensure that people do not have to wait more than 12 months.

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