Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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The first Topical Issue matter is in the name of Deputy Kathleen Funchion.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Munster was to take contribute to this Topical Issue matter but is unable to be here. Would Deputy Tully be able to take her time? I am open to whatever the rules are on it.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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It is usually agreed beforehand. Given that Deputy Tully is here at this time of the evening I am open to that. For clarity, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbite, is taking this issue.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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How much time is available?

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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There are four minutes, so two minutes each.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I am delighted to have the opportunity to raise this issue. I want to briefly mention some of my colleagues who have been campaigning on it, including Deputies Paul Donnelly, Clarke, Cronin, O'Reilly, Daly, O'Rourke and Ó Laoghaire. A number of us put this in and we were the lucky names which came out.

We are looking for clarity on the reopening of adult day services. It is a little bit ad hocat the moment in that some services seem to have resumed but many have not. There is also the question of whether they will resume at full capacity. The Minister of State is probably aware that there will be a protest here tomorrow at 12. 30 p.m. organised by the Enough is Enough group. It is extremely passionate about this issue and it really is unfair that people with a disability are being overlooked as far as the reopening of their very valuable day services are concerned. Will additional funding be made available to reopen these services? We have just had a discussion on schools and like all workplaces there will now be a need for extra staff, extra cleaning staff and a need for very practical changes like perspex screens and other changes to facilitate social distancing. Some of the buildings in question are very old and will probably need upgrades.

Will additional funding be made available and if so can the Minister of State comment on when this will be? What is the plan for the reopening of all services? Some places are running reduced services of perhaps only a couple of hours where previously some service users would have had 30 hours a week. This is obviously a massive drop and it is going to have a knock-on effect on carers where respite is concerned. It will also affect carers who are working as well and may be juggling other responsibilities. As such I would like to know what exactly is going to happen with the reopening of day services.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I am calling for the immediate resumption of day car services for people with intellectual disabilities. It is imperative at this stage. People with intellectual disabilities and their carers are at their wits' end and feel they have been forgotten. The totality of care for adults with intellectual disabilities has been left with parents, who are often aged. They have received little or no support for more than four months now. I have heard reports of adult children suffering from depression and loneliness and some have regressed quite significantly. Some are actually violent and it is totally born out of frustration and lack of routine.

Carers are suffering too and I have huge concerns about their mental health. It is something we are going to have to look at in the future. We are talking about parents having to dress, wash, change and feed adults in many cases. They have received nothing extra despite the additional costs, such as extra food, heating or incontinence wear. They have had to provide and pay for everything in the meantime.

Carers save the State billions of euro every year and at the moment they are very much feeling undervalued and worthless. They are receiving no respite and are often working perhaps 18 to 20 hours per day.

Many parents are wondering what has happened to the budget that is allocated for the care of their loved ones because it is not being spent on them at the moment. It has been allocated for their needs and yet they are unsure how or where it is being spent. As such a plan and a roadmap is needed for the reopening of day care centres as soon as possible.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Funchion for raising this important issue and for giving me the opportunity to outline the position on the resumption of services for adults with disabilities. I confirmed with Deputy Funchion's office earlier that the question relates to day services for adults specifically.

Since disability day services closed in March, as per public health advice, it has been especially challenging for those vulnerable members of our society. The HSE has been planning for the resumption of adult disability day services since the middle of May. A group representative of families, service providers and other relevant stakeholders was convened and tasked with the development of a resumption plan, that is, the roadmap Deputy Tully mentioned. Guidance to support the resumption of services, that is, the roadmap, was published on 8 July and sent to all the service providers. Adult day services will gradually resume during the month of August. Service providers are working to get day services ready to reopen safely and in line with public health guidance.

It is up to each of the 966 individual service providers to pinpoint their reopening date. Most service providers should already have been in touch with families at this point. It is expected that services will reopen during August and neither the Department nor the HSE has been informed of any services reopening later than this. Uncertainty is not acceptable for service users or their families. It only adds to the mounting stress they are already under. To make the reopening process more transparent for service users I have asked the HSE to create a web portal that will clearly outline when each service will reopen, the number of users able to avail of the service each day, and what alternate care plans will be put in place. Services have been asked to inform the HSE of this information later on today, seeing as we are here after 12 midnight.

The information from all 966 disability day services will then be collated and posted on hse.ie/newdirectionsfrom 4 August. While a full reopening of services would be ideal, Covid-19 has not gone away and we cannot put lives at risk as services reopen. Safety is paramount. We must protect our most vulnerable and this means all Covid safety guidelines must be followed. Unfortunately, this means capacity in day services will be reduced.

For the foreseeable future, supports provided from service user homes and remote supports will become a key feature of day service provision. However, the HSE is committed to maximising the support that can be provided within Covid-19 restrictions, and providers are exploring options such as the use of other community facilities to increase capacity.

The safety and well-being of people with disabilities is my utmost priority during the resumption of services. Where families experience significant challenges, and there are many, or where there is an emergency, the HSE and providers will work together to assist and support those families to the greatest possible extent. I genuinely acknowledge the many challenges experienced by individuals and their families over this very difficult time. Adult day services are a very important support for the 19,000 people with a disability who attend them on a regular basis, and their families. They will now have certainty that services will be reopening and reassurance that they will be guided by public health advice. I encourage individuals and families to keep in touch with their service providers.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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The Deputies have one minute each in reply.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate what she said with regard to services being expected to reopen in August and September, which would be very welcome, and what she said with regard to a portal on which people can clearly see which services are reopened. This will also be welcome.

On 17 July, the Covid committee was told some services may not open until December or January. Where did this information come from? Many people have contacted me about this and all Deputies will have had queries on it. Many people do not seem to have had contact from their service provider. The Minister of State has said she has not been told anyone is opening later than August or September. What advice does she have for people who still have not heard from their service provider or have been told it will open later, for example, December or January? What can people and families do in this situation? What practical advice can the Minister of State give them? I ask her to address the issue of the additional funding that will be needed. We all know the sector was underfunded anyway and additional funding was needed well before Covid. Will the Minister of State give a clear answer on additional funding?

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. As my colleague, Deputy Funchion, has said, at the Covid committee last Friday week a roadmap was discussed and August was mentioned but there was no specific date and it was very general and vague. September and possibly next year were mentioned and this was quite concerning. People are frustrated. Many parents have told me they see this as an essential service and that there should have been plans much earlier for reopening it. We are speaking about opening our schools, which is very important. They are all being rolled out together and there will be as full a reopening as possible. Everything should now be done to ensure a full reopening of services and put the extra funding into making sure there is extra space and the safety of everybody involved.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I agree with the Deputies that more clarity should have been more forthcoming earlier on and there is no denying it. With regard to the Covid committee, from where some of the queries have come, the Department of Health made contact with regard to that commentary and it could not be backed up. My understanding is the Department will write to the Covid committee because it could not reference any services that fell into that category. Clarity has been sought on this as has a correction of the record of the Covid committee.

Since being appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I have visited several disability services and only today I was at St. Joseph's Foundation in Charleville. I have seen first-hand the massive positive initiatives developed over recent months to continue to provide services to people with disabilities. I must emphasise that there is an increased risk of infection for some people with disabilities and we are speaking about adult services. They and their families must have confidence that the services will be safe for themselves and the staff to return. We now have the robust guidance needed to reopen these essential services and reassure people of this.

The need for engagement with service users and their families has been reinforced yet again, which is why I am able to say this evening that when the portal is launched on 4 August it will bring clarity. Within the portal, parents and service users will see when their service will open and what capacity will open. We see where capacity will not reach 40%, 50% or 60% and it will clearly be identified. All service providers will have written to the Department to communicate the shortfall in funding required to achieve 50%, 60% or 100%. This will be collated by the Department in the coming days and I will then be able to provide the Deputies with a figure on it.