Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to outline the position on the provision of home care packages for people with disabilities. I can assure him of the Government’s commitment to providing services and supports for people with disabilities, which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. The commitment is outlined in A Programme for a Partnership Government and guided by the principles of equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. This year €1.9 billion has been allocated for the HSE’s disability service programme, which represents an increase of 7.5% on the allocation for last year. It will fund the provision of a wide and complex range of services and supports for people with disabilities, including the provision of home support packages. HSE disability services constantly review all allocated hours to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of resources in an effort to meet emerging needs. The review of the current allocation is ongoing and every effort is being made to meet demand within the current available resources.

The HSE is also working to improving quality of life for people with disabilities through the provision of home support hours. In its national service plan for 2018 the executive’s priority was to provide 2.93 million home support hours for over 7,400 people with a disability. The actual number of home support hours provided in 2018 was higher; over 3 million hours were provided for over 8,000 people with a disability. This reflects the responsive nature of the service and takes account of the fluctuation in assessed need over time, as the needs of individual people change. This year the HSE is committed to maximising the provision of health and social care services, including home support services, within available resources. In its national service plan for 2019 the HSE expects to deliver over 3.08 million home support hours to over 8,000 people with a disability. This represents an increase of 150,000 hours on the last year’s target.

We are committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives. The goal is to help as many people as we can. This is a positive development, on which we can build in years to come.

On the individual matter raised by the Deputy, I am sure he will understand my reluctance to speak in any great detail in the House about the specifics of any one case, given the personal nature and circumstances of the matter. However, I am aware that a multi-disciplinary team meeting was held on 11 March to discuss the current waiting list in the County Meath disability service, with a view to the prioritisation and allocation of resource hours which became available this week. Subsequently, the individual concerned was allocated 42 hours a week. She will remain on the waiting list to be allocated the additional 14 hours. The Deputy can be assured that I will take a special interest in the case.

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