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

The colour of the Government's money has already been shown in the previous budgets. While the disability capacity action plan has not been published, funding has been put in place. The years 2020, 2021 and 2022 saw significant investment in disability. What has been put into disability for the last two years is actually record-breaking and we have addressed the issues the Deputy raised, which needed the investment, including the respite piece and the PA piece. In the most recent budget, the PA piece was allocated ten times the funding it had received in the previous number of years. On respite, every single year since I became a Minister of State it has been my ambition, on which I have delivered, to have a respite house in every county in the country by the time I am finished. In the first year, we put €6.5 million into respite and in the second year, it was €9.5 million. This year's service plan is yet to be finalised but it will match what has gone in previously. Children's respite has been a priority of mine coming out of Covid to ensure families are supported. I am now moving on to adult respite but, at the same time, respite is not all about putting a head on a bed. It is also about looking at alternative forms of respite and PA support.

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