Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I will take this matter on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. I thank Deputy Ellis for raising this important issue and offering the opportunity to respond. I know of the Deputy's personal interest in the matter. He has been a long-time campaigner on these issues in his time in the House.

Organisations such as An Saol Foundation are invaluable to the disability sector. As the Deputy is aware, An Saol provides specialised care, rehabilitation and community support, empowering individuals with severe acquired brain injuries to lead fulfilling and independent lives. Its contributions are deeply valued by the Government as they are by the Deputy.

The HSE capital and estates unit is engaging with An Saol Foundation to assist with progressing the latter's capital project proposal. The HSE has advised the Department that progress is being made regarding securing a site for the proposed project and an application for planning permission has been lodged. The HSE has prioritised funding for the site purchase and initial design cost, allocating approximately €1.3 million through the capital allocation process. Subject to the timely receipt of all required documentation, the HSE anticipates that this project will continue to progress smoothly through the necessary stages of approval and development. The HSE is working with An Saol to advise on the requirements that need to be met at each step of the process. This includes progressing the project through the approvals process for the property acquisition and the capital funding.

It is important to note that all new capital projects are subject to national HSE approval processes, which in turn are informed by the Government's national infrastructure guidelines. Projects are also subject to prioritisation within available resources. The HSE capital plan for 2025 focused on projects being progressed this year and €27 million was allocated for capital projects in disability services in budget 2025. This represents a €4 million increase on 2024. Capital expenditure is due to grow over the coming years.

An assessment of the current infrastructure as well as the need for additional capital investment into the future, aligned to the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026 and the roadmap for children's services, is a key objective for the Government and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.

To progress this, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has asked the HSE to bring forward a disability specific multi-annual capital strategy this year that will help identify the medium-term infrastructure needs for disability services. A senior and dedicated lead within the HSE has been appointed to lead development of the disability capital strategy and to ensure that there is a strategic, directed growth in investment and delivery of capital projects, and that capital projects are delivered on time, on budget and that value for money is being achieved.

The Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026 has very ambitious three-year targets for increasing residential placement capacity, accelerating the rate of decongregation, as well as for providing new day-service places. Whilst meeting these targets will be dependent on increasing staffing complements within services, providing the necessary capital infrastructure will be of huge importance also.

Independent living and housing will also be a major feature of the forthcoming national disability strategy. It must be noted that continued cross-government engagement, particularly with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, will be a critical component of success.

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