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

The Minister of State is aware of the shortage but I want to put on the record that 25,000 people a year require some form of rehabilitative services. Most of them struggle just to get the basic services. Ireland should have 270 beds for its population but we have less than half that number, and none outside Dublin. We have been campaigning for a long time - in the context of rehabilitative support beds - for services to be located outside Dublin. There should be four regional inpatient specialist rehabilitation services but we have none. There are huge deficiencies in that regard and it is urgent that the matter be addressed.

Will the Minister of State outline the steps he is taking to ensure that the implementation plan for the national neuro-rehabilitation strategy will be fit for purpose and address the concerns of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland and its member organisations? Will he clarify whether new funding will be made available in 2017 to develop the neuro-rehabilitation services in the community? Will he outline the plans that are in place to invest in the development of neuro-rehabilitation services in acute hospitals in 2017, specifically in the South/South West Hospital Group? Following his commitment to publish the neuro-rehabilitation plan in the first quarter of next year, can he confirm that will still happen? Those are my questions. I do not expect the Minister of State to reply to them in full detail.

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