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

I thank the Deputy. As he said, he has raised this matter a number of times in the Dáil, for which I thank him. I also thank him for his acknowledgement of the work that HSE staff and section 39 staff are doing with Stephen's family. It is important we do that.

As I stated, the HSE provides a range of assisted living services, including home support services, to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives. Home support services are provided either directly by the HSE or through a range of voluntary service providers. In the case of specialised disability services, the majority, approximately 80%, are delivered through non-statutory sector-specific providers. Resource allocation is determined by the needs of an individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available. As with every other service, there are real pressures on the provision of home support services. While the services, and the resources dedicated to them, are substantial, they are finite.

The Deputy referred to the staff pressures faced nationally in disabilities services. He is absolutely right. He is probably aware that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I have convened an interdepartmental workforce steering group. Its job is to focus on identifying and directing efforts to address the immediate, medium- and long-term solutions we can put in place to get more staffing. That is the fundamental challenge we have in disability services for adults and children. Right now, it is not a funding issue. It is the lack of availability of staff. The Minister of State and I are committed to that. The HSE undertook a very positive engagement campaign with graduates who came back to Ireland over Christmas in respect of recruitment in the area of young people's disabilities. Just under 500 people signed an expression of interest to talk more with the HSE. It is to be hoped that programmes such as that can deliver. I will write to the HSE specifically on Stephen's case and will liaise with the Deputy.

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