Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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On Tuesday, 14 June 2005, the NAMHI parent representatives walked out of the consultative group meeting of the HSE southern region, which was held at Blackpool in Cork. There were several reasons for this protest but the catalyst was the presentation of the 2005 funding allocation to the HSE southern region for additional places in the intellectual disability sector. In spite of Government promises the allocation for additional residential respite and day care places is woefully inadequate to deal with the planned requirements as specified in the national intellectual disability database figures which are submitted to central Government. An example of the shortfall in County Kerry is the need for €4.4 million in 2005 between the three adult service providers and the fact that only €771,000 was allocated, a shortfall of almost €2.7 million.

According to the national intellectual disability database figures on the adult services in Cork and Kerry, 209 additional residential places are needed in 2005 and 38 places have been funded. An additional 334 respite places are needed and 15 places have been funded. The situation is totally unacceptable. For the past 12 months the NAMHI parent representatives have found it increasingly difficult to carry out their function to represent the parents of children and adults with an intellectual disability in the Cork and Kerry region. They were asked to make recommendations to the new HSE structures on the services required for the new five-year plan 2005-09. They spent considerable time and effort in doing so and in discussions at the various consultative group meetings.

They put forward the concerns, frustrations and anger of parents and suggested different and innovative ways of sourcing funding and providing for vital services. They found it difficult to obtain necessary information and statistics and have been very frustrated at the number of times they have had to ask the same questions at subsequent meetings without adequate response. The lack of clarity due to the changeover from the Southern Health Board to the HSE southern region has not helped matters.

The parents asked for a meeting with the regional planning committee to express their concerns but to date that committee has not agreed to meet them. The funding allocation presented to the parents on 14 June highlighted the total waste of their time in producing recommendations for service provisions. From the information available to the parents, the moneys requested by the agencies were first reduced by a value for money cut and then no consideration was given to the need for additional places as identified in the database.

The service development needs in the Kerry area for the 2005-09 period are generally as follows. Residential places for six people must be prioritised for immediate full-time residential care. Kerry parents and friends association proposes to establish a dedicated respite house as a priority. Demand for respite is increasing daily. St. John of God in Tralee has notified that it cannot take any more respite people for the foreseeable future. It is no longer acceptable nor practicable to provide respite for strangers in community houses that are often the full-time homes of many service users.

The need for day places for school leavers in 2005 should be provided in local community settings. The referral process for school leavers needs to be formalised with at least a two-year lead in. A consultant psychiatrist specialising in intellectual disability is required to be based in Kerry. Speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are urgently required in both children's and adult services in Kerry. The relocation of people with intellectual disabilities who were inappropriately placed in St. Finian's Hospital, Killarney, is long overdue. Kerry parents and friends association has an urgent requirement for a special residential facility staffed by specialists in challenging behaviours, to cater long and short term for a small number of service users who present with challenging behaviours. Such behaviour cannot be addressed in community residences and is very disruptive to other residents.

It is very important that the parents' representatives, given the urgency with which they view their circumstances, feel that energy and resources available to them should be spent in trying to unravel the emerging role of the HSE and the difficulties this brings as well as seeing where best to place their legitimate protest. They want an immediate meeting with the HSE southern planning committee to voice their concerns and to seek to agree an agenda in which the parents can approach the various HSE structures nationally and the various Departments charged with providing adequate service.

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Deenihan for raising this matter, which I will bring to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, with a view to an early meeting on the matter. It provides me with an opportunity to outline to the House the position regarding the additional funding provided for services for children and adults with disabilities in 2005.

In November 2004, the Government announced that disability and mental health services would be prioritised under the Estimates for new health initiatives in 2005. An additional sum of €40 million was to be allocated in 2005 to services for persons with intellectual disability and those with autism. This would form part of a five-year multi-annual budget for the sector. The new funding would provide additional residential, respite and day places, improve specialist support services and meet costs associated with moving individuals to more appropriate placements.

In April 2005 a meeting took place between officials from the HSE southern area and NAMHI at which matters relating to intellectual disability services in the southern area, including service deficits in the Kerry area, were discussed.

In June 2005 the HSE southern area received notification of its allocation of over €6 million out of €40 million allocated to intellectual disability and autism services in 2005. Through a process of consultation with all service providers, parents and clients, funding was allocated in accordance with local priorities, in consultation with the regional planning committee for intellectual disability services.

At the consultative group meeting on 14 June which involved parents, nominees of service providers and HSE officials, the allocation of funding for 2005 was discussed but NAMHI left the meeting prior to discussion.

NAMHI has requested a meeting with the regional planning committee and this request will be brought to the next committee meeting which takes place in early autumn.