Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not think that the Deputy is in any way incorrect. In fact, she is entirely correct. There is not a Deputy on this side of the House or the other who is unaware of the fact that there is unmet need. To be honest, developing a policy to address it will be challenging. The Deputy will be fair enough to acknowledge that this is not just a resourcing issue. Also involved is the availability of beds, for example, where places that used to provide X number of beds can now only provide Y number due to regulatory standards. Previously, a respite bed could be used at the weekend for someone who was normally there during the week, but that cannot be done now.

The social care division of the HSE has committed to developing a number of proposals, including home sharing as a person-centred and community-inclusive type of support for people with disabilities, which will involve the development of an implementation plan. This will address the priority recommendations of the national expert group report on home sharing published and will be led by the national designated disability lead in this area. This could be a good thing, given that home sharing that is in compliance with new national standards will be developed.

We also need to examine the number of emergency residential placements. This year has seen an increase of 185. It is a priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and me in the context of budget 2018 because it has a knock-on effect on the availability of respite for children and young adults. This is a challenging issue and the Minister of State is prioritising it. We will continue to do what we can.

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