Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend my colleague Deputy Tully on this. As our spokesperson on disability, she has done huge work in this area. I also acknowledge that the Minister of State is here. I know she is passionate about this as well but we have to highlight when there are failings. As my colleague Deputy Cullinane has said, we have to lay that at the door of the Minister of State and of the Government.

In the short time I have, I am going to speak specifically about services for children. A lot of families get to a point where they consider residential care not because they want to, but because they get to a breaking point and do not see an alternative for them. The families I am dealing with, and we are all dealing with, are looking for such a little amount of respite to begin with. People come in looking for one overnight or one day in the space of two or three months. They are not big asks. After housing it is the number one query we deal with in our constituency offices. It can make such a vital difference to families and specifically to children to get to stay in their own home, surrounded by their family and their community. It gets to a point sometimes where families look at residential care because they are at breaking point.

In Carlow and Kilkenny, access to disability services is patchy, and that is putting it nicely. In Carlow, for example, there are 23 full-time positions and only 10.5 of those are filled. I am always amazed at how half a position can be filled. How can you have half a person? Access to respite on a regular basis can mean the difference between a person remaining in their home and not. Out of sheer exhaustion, sometimes families look at residential services.

In the time I have remaining, I would like to briefly mention July provision. The programme is an absolute godsend for parents. A recent change in eligibility criteria has put the programme under serious pressure. This was highlighted in depth at the Joint Committee on Autism. I am concerned to learn that many schools are opting out of the programme due to a range of issues. We need to try to do something, particularly on staffing. I encourage the Minister of State to make sure schools are ensuring children with the greatest level of need can access that programme. That is another vital service. Again it is for the children we are failing. We should be doing absolutely everything we can for our children so they can reach their potential.

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