Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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This issue relates to adult day services in the disability sector and, in particular, transport to regions in the south-east. Cumas is a service in New Ross, Wexford, and SOS is a service in Kilkenny. A situation in SOS has come to my attention. There was transport for a particular individual prior to the arrival of Covid-19. Now that the service has reopened, the person concerned is attending two days a week but the transport is no longer accessible or does not seem to be accessible for this family. An elderly mother is driving her daughter to the day service, a daily 80 km trip. The mother obviously wants to keep her daughter in the service, and it is valuable to her, but it will not be possible for her to keep up that level of driving on a daily basis. Will the Minister of State look into this case specifically, if I send her the details?

There were issues regarding transport for Cumas in New Ross of which the Minister of State might be aware. I believe some funding for that service was recently announced. Perhaps she could confirm exactly what the funding was for and how much was involved. Would she consider meeting with the parents of the people who use that service? I acknowledge the way things are with Covid now but even an online meeting to discuss the situation would be welcomed by those parents. Since Covid has happened, they have an active parents committee which has come together on many issues. We have all learned from Covid how to manage situations better in the future, the importance of forward planning and not to be left wondering what to do when something unforeseen happens. Will the Minister of State confirm that funding was given to Cumas and what it was for? If she were willing to chat to those parents, they would welcome it. Will she also address the case of the individual in SOS, Kilkenny, the details of which I can pass onto her?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise for being delayed in getting here. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I have no problem taking a representation on behalf of the person in SOS from the Deputy and talking to her about it. I thank her for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to outline the position in regard to the resumption of adult day services and transport in community health organisation, CHO, 5, encompassing south Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford. Adult day services reopened throughout August and early September at approximately 39% capacity and, as the Deputy will be well aware, I have secured the funding to increase day services by an average of one day a week for more than 14,000 adult day service users.

Some service providers are now working so that the services operate safely and in line with public health guidelines. This has led to a reduced capacity in day services due to the need for social distancing, the physical limitations of buildings and a lack of mainstream community activities currently available. The public health guidelines, which were developed to underpin the safe reopening of adult day services, have also had an impact on the transport to day services. Although the HSE has no statutory obligation to provide transport services, some transport supports are provided by the HSE or funded through agencies on a discretionary basis. This can include services themselves providing transport and local transport such as Local Link. In general, disability service users are in receipt of a disability allowance and are automatically entitled to a free pass. Now that day services have reopened, the availability of safe transport is essential.

However, reduced capacity on vehicles means more journeys are needed to and from service locations for those that need it. As the service has resumed, transport providers have had to demonstrate that their services can be provided as safely as possible and with strict adherence to social distancing guidelines.

The Deputy raised the issue of Cumas in New Ross, which I visited in recent months. During my visit, I met with the providers in the company of Deputy Browne and Senator Byrne. They raised, no more than the good Deputy has done today, the issue of transport. I am glad to confirm that Cumas was allocated €147,652 at the end of November to address the transport issues that have been raised with me since September. This will be allocated in the December payment to the provider. This is once-off additional funding for transport from within the current budget for disabilities services and additional moneys I secured in September to support the resumption of services.

I understand the issue with that individual case and I have no problem working with the Deputy on it. The Deputy asked if I would meet with the families and of course I will. I will be more than happy to take part in a Zoom call in the company of other Oireachtas colleagues who would like to be on it. This is also an important opportunity for the Deputy and other Oireachtas Members in the area to meet with the CHO 5 to understand the funding allocation, the roll-out and the support they will give to service providers going into the new year in order that we can have a sustainable resumption of services and the proper link, which is the transport piece, to assure the families that the connectivity they require is in place, particularly in light of the fact that there is €145,000 set aside for transport.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State. I welcome that response. She has been honest and sincere and I am glad she is willing to meet with the parents in the area. They will be delighted with that and it is an excellent suggestion to meet with CHO 5. I could not agree with that more. It brings them into it and, in terms of accountability for them, that might be no harm.

In light of the Covid restrictions, I understand how difficult it has been to get services resumed but many families with children with disabilities or disabled members going into adult services are looking at the school situation. It is great that we have been able to reopen the schools but people look at that and ask why, if we can get it right in that sector, we cannot get it right in other sectors. I will pass on the details of the individual case and follow up directly with the Minister of State. I appreciate that. It would be great to organise the meeting and include CHO 5 officials. I am happy with that.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I have a little more information that I could not impart in my first contribution. Since being appointed Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I have, as the Deputy knows, visited that area thanks to my Oireachtas colleagues. I also met with Deputy Kehoe when I was down there. They have been continuously campaigning on the matters the Deputy has raised in the context of transport, the vastness of the area and the need for it. In that context, I have also met with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his officials on this issue. I made that meeting on the basis of what the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, presented to me concerning a very well-run LocalLink service in the area. As part of Connecting Ireland, we are looking at one of the first models we will roll out will be in that area because of the good services that are there already in relation to LocalLink. It is still being put through its paces to see where it will sit and how it will run but when one starts, one starts with one of the better models, which is in the Carlow area. We would hope to expand it into other areas and to include disabilities services.

We have, right across the country, a very good LocalLink service. LocalLink is 85% suitable for persons with disabilities to use and we now need to ensure that a person with a disability can get on the LocalLink vehicle. That is a piece which might have been missing in the past. As we have a good LocalLink there, we are looking to delivering it out to include areas of disability.