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

The Government is committed to the expansion of specialist services for people with disabilities. The Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026, which was published on 14 December, represents a national strategy for capacity increases and service and policy reform in disability services. It is important to say that it is the first time we will have policy funding and reform all under the one Department where we are putting equal rights for people at the centre. It was informed by findings from the disability capacity review, published in 2021, in addition to cross-governmental input and an extensive public consultation.

The service areas for investment for 2024 under the action plan have been agreed through the budgetary process.

Specifically, €74 million has been allocated for new development measures that will provide greater investment across a range of disability services, mainly residential, for which more than €20 million will be allocated. There will also be €15 million for respite care, which in a full year will be €25 million; €18.2 million for day services, which is for approximately 1,250 school leavers; €8.5 million for the development of children's services, including 125 therapy assistants; and €11.9 million for the development 80,000 extra PA hours for further enhanced community neurological supports.

The precise level of delivery of services for people with disabilities, based on the funding in budget 2024, is set out in the HSE's service plan. The action plan contains further enabling actions designed to begin the necessary groundwork that will help position us to make further capacity increases in 2025, 2026 and beyond. These include actions on workforce, improved data and management systems, assessment of costs, stakeholder engagement and access to housing. In fact, for us to meet the disability action plan commitments, I need 320 houses. That is one part of it.

With regard to the challenges on the residential side, I will engage with the Minister for housing on how our Departments can work together to deliver the housing requirements to meet the targets in the plan.

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