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

I thank Deputies for their contributions and for the opportunity to address this motion. I also thank the joint committee both for its invaluable work in seeking to improve services and promote the rights of people with disabilities and for producing the report. Having published Ireland's first State report on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last Thursday, it is timely that we are having the discussion here today.

I wish to start by talking about the new Department, which will help ensure that health-funded disability services are progressing to meet our obligations under the convention. The Government has acted to bring the different branches of disability together. The disability unit that was previously contained in the Department of Justice has moved to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Early next year, the disability policy functions currently in the Department of Health will also transfer. I believe this will allow me to have the strands of disability policy under my remit in one Department. Bringing all areas of disability under one roof will facilitate easier collaboration and innovation in the delivery of services to persons with a disability.

As I am sure Members are all aware, Ireland ratified the UNCRPD in 2018 and continues to progressively realise its obligations under the convention. Having submitted our initial State report last week, I look forward to engaging fully with the committee's review of our implementation of the convention. I have been asked a number of times about the status of the optional protocol, so it is important to address it here today. The optional protocol establishes two procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation and monitoring of the convention. The first is a communications procedure allowing individuals to bring petitions to the committee claiming breaches of their rights. The second is an inquiry procedure giving the committee authority to undertake inquiries of grave or systematic violations of the convention.

Although it was anticipated that ratification of the optional protocol would take place after the conclusion of the review of Ireland's initial State report, due to backlogs at the committee our review date may not occur for some time. I am pleased to confirm to the House that both the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, who is joining me here this evening, and I are open to an earlier ratification, provided the State is in a position to meet its obligations.

A significant review of domestic procedures and complaints mechanisms must be conducted to determine what legislative or procedural steps might be required to ensure that Ireland is compliant with the optional protocol upon ratification. This process has already begun within my Department and will be progressed in parallel with the development of the UNCRPD implementation plan next year. We will then have a clearer sense of what further steps are required at the domestic level.

Regarding the roll-out of specific health-funded services more aligned to the UNCRPD, Members will be aware that I recently published a report, A Review of Disability Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements up to 2032. This report quantifies and costs future need for health-funded disability support services. It is important to note that the report quantifies and costs future need for disability support services from a 2018 baseline not a 2021 baseline. That is, the funding requirements as set out in the report are relative to 2018 expenditure, not 2021. An interdepartmental working group is now preparing the action plan for consideration of the Cabinet social policy sub-committee as soon as possible. This work was enhanced by the views of service users and representative organisations who were consulted in September of this year, in line with Article 4 of the UNCRPD. This work will put a significant focus, direction and shape on how services align with the UNCRPD.

Regarding specific services and funding, budget 2022 builds on €100 million of new development funding allocated in 2021 to enhance specialist disability services. The 2022 budget allocation totals an additional €115 million for the disability services budget. The HSE, in preparing its national service plan, is examining how each key priority can be progressed in 2022 within the overall increased envelope of funding for disability services.

I will move to adult day services, which I am pleased to say were allowed reopen to full capacity on 22 October. Given the evolving challenges the pandemic has created for us all, I recognise and value the work of service providers and their dedicated staff to deliver this important service. In addition to day services, it is important to remember the importance of respite care and care in the home. This time last year I was very fortunate to get recognition that disability was an essential service. I thank all the staff for the support that they have given us since then. The increase in day-service capacity was supported by additional funding of €30 million provided in budget 2021 to increase capacity in buildings and provide extra staff. It is also important to highlight how important the vaccination programme is for people with disabilities, including those attending day services. More than 90% of staff and service users have had two doses of vaccine and plans for the administration of boosters were announced by my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, earlier this week.

I wish to move now to children's disability services. In August 2020, as the Deputy correctly stated, the Government allocated extra funding of €7.8 million to clear a backlog that I had inherited under the old assessment of needs system which had more than 6,500 young people on it. By August of this year, 92% of that was cleared, but 552 young people were still waiting for an assessment. We all know that the standard operating procedure, SOP, model came into operation as well in January 2020. Some of the CHOs were managing to do both and applied a parallel project in looking after the SOP and the assessment of needs. The €7.8 million was used to clear the backlog so that we could have a clear platform to get to the intervention space. We should move away from the assessment model so that the first time a child meets a person for assessment or therapy, it is an intervention. There should be a clear pathway. The outreach I referred to recently was in relation to the October report from the HSE. I will stop at this point and come back in later on.

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