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

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and providing me with the opportunity to discuss the matter. As Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, respite services for people with disabilities and their families are a key priority for me. In outlining his case, the Deputy correctly stated that not all of this falls under my remit. There is respite for older people as well. However, my response specifically addresses respite for people with disabilities.

This Government is continuing to expand the provision of respite services available. In 2024 alone, new development funding of €15 million has been provided to ensure that respite provision continues to expand significantly across the country. This will rise to €25 million in a full year. In the coming weeks, I will publish a respite investment plan, which will detail how this funding is being utilised to support respite for children and adults around the country. This will increase the level of respite provision through a mix of provision of alternative respite options. These include summer camps and evening and Saturday clubs, overnight centre-based or residential respite; using existing overnight residential capacity to the maximum extent; and providing additional overnight respite capacity where this is needed.

In 2018, funding for respite service provision totalled €53.5 million, while in 2024 the figure is north of €110 million. In terms of overnight respite, this has translated to provision increasing from 87,000 overnights accessed by people with a disability to 151,000 overnights last year, as well as 45,000 day-only sessions. The total number of people in receipt of respite services in 2023 was 6,137 individuals.

With this increased funding, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, in tandem with the HSE, is working with me to support different forms of respite, including overnights, day provision, after-school clubs and weekend activities. Particular attention is being focused on areas that are below the national average regarding the availability of respite.

I acknowledge that demographic challenges associated with the increase in the number of people living with a disability, the increase in age and life expectancy and the changing needs of people with a disability have all led to a need for increased respite services. The co-ordinated focus will be on expanding existing overnight capacity as well as providing significant additional investment in alternative forms of respite. What that means, when translated into English, is that in some services, respite will be available four over seven nights. This means the service is open four out of seven nights in the week. My respite plan is to ensure we move to seven over seven nights and also to use these buildings to provide a day respite support.

In the past, we did not have a suite of measures for respite. The whole purpose of the respite plan I will publish is to ensure we provide everything from after-school programmes and early years education, such as Little Wonders in Cavan, to after-school programmes in mainstream schools. Sanas Ireland in Finglas in Dublin, for example, is supporting 85 children who have complex needs on a weekly basis as well as providing Saturday clubs, equine therapy and alternative respite. The co-ordinated focus will be on expanding existing overnight capacity as well as providing significant additional investment in alternative forms of respite to meet the different needs. Every effort is being made to support the provision of respite on an equitable basis and to expand provision in all forms. When we talk about respite, we mean equity of access to it regardless of people's location or who shouts the loudest so that all children have equal access to respite.

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