Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit but that is an inadequate response. He acknowledged that the HSE is facing significant challenges in the provision of residential placements and in the availability of suitable housing and staffing, as well as the increasing costs of providing residential care and the changing needs of service users. He has outlined the challenge, but we need to see solutions. While there is an increase in funding, it is clearly not enough and that is the issue. What about families like the one in the case I raised, where the parents of a child of 32 years of age with Down’s syndrome, who are in their 70s, are absolutely terrified about her future and where she will go? We have a significant waiting list for people, eight of them, as I said, over 66 years, and 22 aged between 46 and 65 years. These are high-risk situations. We need a much more considered and significant funding response that addresses these challenges. We cannot just let them go on. People who have disabilities have every right to a decent standard of living, an independent life and supported housing and to be able to live a quality life like anybody else, but as disabled people explain over and over, along with their carers and families, that is not the situation. Yes, the Government is dealing with and responding to decades and decades - indeed, since the foundation of the State - of inadequate support for people with disabilities, but we have to get it right now. We have to provide that republic of equality, particularly for disabled people. We need extra effort for cases like these and services like St. Michael’s House to ensure people with disabilities have that quality of life, and so their families do too. I ask the Government to do more on that.

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