Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputies that more clarity should have been more forthcoming earlier on and there is no denying it. With regard to the Covid committee, from where some of the queries have come, the Department of Health made contact with regard to that commentary and it could not be backed up. My understanding is the Department will write to the Covid committee because it could not reference any services that fell into that category. Clarity has been sought on this as has a correction of the record of the Covid committee.

Since being appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I have visited several disability services and only today I was at St. Joseph's Foundation in Charleville. I have seen first-hand the massive positive initiatives developed over recent months to continue to provide services to people with disabilities. I must emphasise that there is an increased risk of infection for some people with disabilities and we are speaking about adult services. They and their families must have confidence that the services will be safe for themselves and the staff to return. We now have the robust guidance needed to reopen these essential services and reassure people of this.

The need for engagement with service users and their families has been reinforced yet again, which is why I am able to say this evening that when the portal is launched on 4 August it will bring clarity. Within the portal, parents and service users will see when their service will open and what capacity will open. We see where capacity will not reach 40%, 50% or 60% and it will clearly be identified. All service providers will have written to the Department to communicate the shortfall in funding required to achieve 50%, 60% or 100%. This will be collated by the Department in the coming days and I will then be able to provide the Deputies with a figure on it.

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