Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

In announcing the formation of Government, the Taoiseach announced his intention to have the co-ordination of disability-related issues handled by a Minister for the first time. The location of disability equality policy, which had previously been in the Department of Justice, and specialist community-based disability services in a single Department will facilitate strategic policy development, including implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which Ireland ratified in 2018, as well as the significant reforms envisioned under the transforming lives programme.

Under the convention, and following the transfer of the equality function, my Department is both the national focal point and the co-ordinating mechanism for implementation of the UNCRPD. Consolidation of the disability function represents a significant opportunity to progress further the realisation of the convention in Ireland.

This is a significant transfer of functions, both from the point of view of improving services for persons with a disability and from the perspective of both Departments. My priority has always been to ensure that the transfer can happen in a seamless and effective way so that services are maintained and enhanced and all appropriate governance and financial arrangements are properly put in place.

At this time, our two Departments, working with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the HSE, are finalising financial governance arrangements, which were the final elements that needed to be addressed. We will look to bring a memo to Government shortly to finalise the date.

As I said, it is a significant transfer of functions. A budget of €2.4 billion is transferring from the Department of Health to my Department, with the responsibility for many crucial services, such as residential services and children's disability network teams. All of those will continue to be operated by the HSE but accountability will be within my Department. It has taken too long. We all recognise that. We are close to the end of that process now and to a situation where it will fully transfer to my Department.

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