Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

St. Michael's House is an outstanding organisation that since 1955 has been providing vital services for citizens with intellectual disabilities and their families. These services include clinical and counselling services, educational and vocational services, employment services, residential and respite care services, specialist Alzheimer's disease services for people with intellectual disabilities, and social, sports and recreational services. St. Michael's House is the largest and possibly most well known provider of intellectual disability services in Dublin and the third largest provider nationally. Elsewhere in Dublin Trojan work is being done by the St. John of God organisation on the west and south sides, with the services it provides complementing the work of St. Michael's House on the north side.

St. Michael's House provides services for more than 1,600 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in 170 day and residential services in the Dublin and Leinster area. Every summer since the Government came to office, I have had to draw attention to the lack of resources for this organisation, particularly in respect of its efforts to assist young people who are completing their secondary school education and do not have placements for the coming autumn. There is also a major issue in regard to the cost of providing respite care services for families.

Funding for services for citizens with intellectual disabilities continues to be inadequate and is doled out on an ad hocand unplanned basis. I take the opportunity to wish the new chief executive officer of St. Michael's House, Ms Anna Shakespeare, the very best as she embarks on that challenging role. She follows in the wake of Ms Patricia Doherty who did tremendous work in that role for many years. Ms Shakespeare will have a very difficult job in leading a charity that has seen a €12.3 million cut in its funding since 2008. At the same time, of course, there has been no decrease in demand for the vital services it provides. Waiting lists are only getting longer and there is the requirement to address changing needs as people with disabilities get older and older parents pass away. The Government often talks about inclusion and equality in education and training, but the cuts it has imposed have forced the closure of a number of school leaver programmes and respite care services.

Like other north side Deputies, I received a number of heartfelt letters last February and March from parents of children with intellectual disabilities who were finishing second level education this year and had no placement to go to, either for training or work in a sheltered setting. Several parents told me that transition passports had been prepared but there was nowhere for their children to transition to. A key complaint often raised by parents and providers is that we do not have multi-annual or guaranteed funding for new school leavers. St. Michael's House has contacted parents to explain that capital budgets are not available and houses are full but an effort is being made to source new buildings across the north side. There is no guarantee, however, if such premises become available, that the organisation will be able to commission them in time to provide placements for the autumn.

The same problem has arisen, as I said, every spring and summer in recent years. A number of people with intellectual disabilities who avail of the services at the St. Michael's House centre on the Malahide Road wrote to me last week outlining their situation:

We are worried that our quality of life has been greatly affected by the cutbacks to our personal income and to funding of the services for people with a disability. We feel alienated and unable to participate in life equally with the rest of society.

The cutbacks imposed on these most vulnerable citizens must be reversed and we must provide sufficient numbers of secure emergency places in residential and respite care services.

Another feature of the cutbacks has been their impact on the valiant staff in intellectual disability services who are dealing with increasing numbers of clients. They are coming under terrible pressure as older parents pass away and adults in their 30s and 40s come into residential placements in an overcrowded setting. There is a huge task to be undertaken.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue which I am taking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State at Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who has done a great deal of commendable work in this area and is making progress in achieving her objectives. I am pleased to outline the position on services for adults with intellectual disabilities at St Michael's House, including those who need continuing supports from the health service on leaving school and those who avail of respite care services.

In 2014 St. Michael's House received HSE funding of more than €69 million to provide a range of community-based day, respite care and residential services for over 1,600 children and adults with an intellectual disability in some 170 centres in Dublin and County Meath. Additional funding of €12 million was announced in the HSE's service plan for 2015 to meet the full-year costs of providing for school leavers and those graduating from rehabilitative training programmes. Of this funding, €6 million is available in 2015 and being allocated to community health care organisation areas, in line with needs identified and according to the HSE's New Directions policy on day services for adults with a disability.

The HSE has confirmed that all young people and their families will be notified by the end of June of the placement that will be available to them from September. It is very aware of the challenges faced by some service providers and has been engaging locally and nationally with all providers, including St. Michael's House, which may not have the physical capacity within their existing services to accommodate the new intake of school leavers in 2015. In this context, €1.5 million in once-off capital funding is to be allocated by the HSE to organisations to provide suitable buildings, premises and accommodation. Applications have been invited from all service providers to avail of this funding and I understand St Michael's House has submitted estimates in this regard. These estimates will be forwarded to the national director for social care for consideration with other applications nationally. Capital allocations will be notified to providers by the end of June.

The HSE has informed the Department of Health that while there has been a reduction in residential overnight respite care capacity at St Michael's House, provision has been made for alternative respite care services such as break-aways and host family respite care to address the demand for residential respite care services.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I hope her colleague with responsibility in this area will deliver on the undertakings she outlined, to which she also referred in the replies to a number of parliamentary questions I had submitted to the Department of Health. On additional funding for places, what submission has the Department made to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, in advance of the forthcoming capital budget statement? The Minister, Deputy Brendan Howlin, told me yesterday he hd had extensive discussions with all Departments on his proposals. I hope the Department of Health has had an input into that process for the funding of intellectual disability services in the second half of this year and 2016. Since budget 2008, there have been cumulative cuts to the allocation for St. Michael's House of some €12.3 million, with the global budget for disability services likewise being significantly reduced.

The Minister of State referred to break-away and respite care services.

What commitment can the Minister of State give in that regard? Parents and siblings tell me that all available beds in different centres in north County Dublin and County Louth that used to serve as respite for people from the north side have been necessarily utilised for people in full-time residential care. What commitment can she give that there will be full-scale respite for these citizens?

I know we are heading towards a general election but this issue has had to be raised every single year. There is no multi-annual approach to this. Will the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, approach this when he comes into the Chamber in the forthcoming weeks to give the House a capital statement? Service providers across the country are coming under increasing pressure. They need more resources and one-to-one staffing.

The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, sent me the mapping exercise of the social care division operational plan which was to review the need for day-to-day services. It is essential it is carried out up to 2017 and 2018. Budget 2016 is not far away and there needs to be funding not just on the capital side but the current side to provide for additional staffing. We need to restore staffing levels in this sector. These are our most vulnerable citizens. We owe them a total commitment of care and support. I hope the Minister of State brings that message back to the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and the Cabinet.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has answered some of his own questions and has acknowledged that extensive discussions are taking place on this issue.

The Health Service Executive has confirmed that all young people and their families will be notified by the end of June of the placement that will be available to them from September. While I accept this is a concerning time for all involved, I hope the Deputy can wait until the end of June to see the outcome of this. The HSE is providing alternative respite services such as breakaway and host family respite to address the demand for residential respite. Progress has been made in the area and I implore the Deputy to wait until the end of June. I will convey his concerns to the Minster of State who strives hard to deliver in this area.