John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue that is central to this problem, which is the bureaucracy of the three sectors: the HSE, the disability sector and housing. That is preventing initiatives from being taken and preventing staff from being employed. Kilkenny SOS provides a fantastic service. It is at the cutting edge of developments in this area. It has been left short €500,000 since 2013-14. It was given its figure for 2025 and it is forecast to be short by €1.5 million by the end of the year. Kilkenny SOS cannot get the HSE to proactively work with it because even though it is proactive, the HSE seems to be just reactive. It is not giving the priority 1 and priority 2 cases to this organisation to allow them to take up independent living in their own houses.

I ask for an intervention that would bring together housing, the HSE and the disability sector with a budget and a decision-making role so that with those initiatives that are being taken, the group could make an allocation of money and could make a decision on what is being asked for, and could take the word of the service providers, which are at their wits' end because of what is going on and because of the delays in question. It appears that the HSE is almost afraid to make a decision on the staffing of some of these homes and that has to change. Whatever our grand plan for the future is, it will be impossible to implement it if all of the actors representing the State do not come together and deliver to those service providers that are recognised and are doing the job properly.

There is a house in The Sycamores in Kilkenny prepared and ready for respite, run by Kilkenny SOS. As yet, there is no agreement on how that might proceed. There is a huge problem here. I wish the Minister well in what she is doing. It is a job in which she can introduce much reform that would benefit everyone. I urge her to do it sooner rather than later.

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