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

I thank Deputies Niamh Smyth and Murphy O'Mahony again for their support on this issue. I support RehabCare and I am supporting it in government. That is my clear position. I also agree strongly that my job is to look after people with disabilities. I am not interested in any other aspect of the issue. The families are my job. Of course we need tangible results and I am hoping to get them tomorrow.

I mentioned the HSE's 2019 budget earlier. This year, €1.9 billion has been allocated to the HSE's disability service programme. That is an increase of €346 million during the lifetime of this Government. This will fund the provision of a wide and complex range of services and supports to people with disabilities. Additional funding this year is being focused on a number of priority areas as a result of ongoing demographic changes and the fact that population is increasing. These areas include: the expansion of community disability services to meet the needs of school leavers; the 100 new therapy posts to address the assessment of need waiting lists for children with disabilities; personal assistance and home support service hours; and residential and respite places. At our meeting last Tuesday, which was difficult and direct, both RehabCare and the HSE remained committed to working together intensively with a view to making substantive progress in arriving at a solution in respect of this issue. The Minister and I are working closely together on this issue. I have also raised it at Government level. A further meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow and I hope major progress will be made in respect of the genuine concerns the Deputies have raised. As stated, my focus is on the people with disabilities and their families. I want to see the funding going there and I want to see them get maximum support.

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