Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The question relates to CHO 4 in Cork and Kerry, and I mentioned CHOs 7, 8 and 9, which are Dublin. The Minister of State mentioned money but I am talking about hours. The HSE's reply to the parliamentary question we submitted was that there are a number of factors which impact on the increased demand for respite, and an increasing number of children and adults who are seeking to access respite care. It states that this is a reflection of the general population increase but we have known about the increases in population for several years, yet there is still no forward planning to deal with it. It states that there has been an increase in the levels of complexity across the sector due to improved healthcare and an increase in the age of the population with a disability, resulting in the people presenting with challenging and changing needs. We have known this all along but there has been no forward planning to deal with this either. Finally, it states the HSE is fully committed to delivering much-needed new respite services and supports by the end of 2018. I do not think anything will be ready in the next five weeks to help these people.

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