Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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A group of young adults in Beara, west Cork, need a bus to access training and day services in Bantry, which is more than an hour's drive for some of them. These are incredibly important facilities that not only offer education but also give them social, emotional, and employment opportunities. This issue initially arose during the summer when the need became apparent. However, it became clear that Local Link in the area did not have the resources to provide this service. Two groups very generously recognised the need and enabled a temporary solution. The St. Vincent de Paul and Beara West Family Resource Centre stepped in where the State had failed. The young people themselves are making weekly contributions from their disability allowance. Besides the fact it should not fall to local civil society organisations to pay, it is a temporary fix that is only in place until Christmas. Now the young people, their families and colleagues are deeply worried about what will happen in the new year, which is only weeks away.

In the words of the people themselves who are now using the service, "We are now at crisis point." It is clear that funding must be provided by the Government. In a letter I received from one of the young people she explained that:

The uncertainty associated with my future is causing me and my family great stress, anxiety, and sadness. We are overwhelmed and unsure of where to go next.

At the end of the letter she stressed:

I am very concerned about what will happen in January, I do not know how I will be able to continue in education without support.

This group's case highlights the need for an integrated approach to disability. It is not only about the services but also about being able to access them. This problem is even more pronounced in rural Ireland, as the Minister of State will be aware. Bantry has incredible facilities, with the National Learning Network, RehabCare and CoAction offering a fantastic range of training courses and day services. However, people have to travel a considerable distance to get to them, especially people living on the Beara and Sheep's Head peninsulas. In this case the local community and organisations have gone above and beyond. While this is welcome, it is a public service that should be provided by the State. Especially jarring is that these young people who are living on fixed incomes through disability and related payments have to pay towards the bus themselves. People in similar situations in larger towns and cities can avail of free public transport, so this now becomes a matter of inequality. The existing public transport routes do not offer the buses at suitable times every weekday, meaning that a bespoke service is the only option.

These young people have a right to access education and support, which includes transport. We have examined these issues at the Committee on Disability Matters. In fact, when the National Learning Network from Bantry appeared at the committee, the importance of transport arose. The network representatives highlighted how they regularly have to fight for transport and work with public bodies and private companies to come up with solutions. There is no good in having a service if people cannot access it. This is about joined-up thinking. Cork Local Link has been working with the stakeholders and public representatives in trying to solve this, but ultimately it comes down to resources. There needs to be funding for this service. Will the Minister of State personally look into this, please?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am told by the HSE that a number of young persons with a disability attend both the RT programme and day services in the Beara area. An arrangement has been in place for a number of years between RehabCare and Local Link for these service users living in this area to be collected in the morning, brought to their service and brought home in the evening. This is because the geographic location is rural and there was no existing transport service in place via the National Transport Authority, NTA, at the time.

Unfortunately, the HSE has said it is not aware of any difficulties with this existing transport arrangement for these service users accessing RehabCare services. As a result, officials in the Department of Health made contact with the Department of Transport on the issue. In an update provided through the NTA rural transport programme, the TFI Local Link Cork office confirmed that the service in question is a long-standing one and is a HSE co-funded service. However, TFI Local Link Cork says it is not aware of any issues with this service. For example, no passengers are being left behind. It confirmed that nothing has changed recently and no changes are being proposed to the service by TFI Local Link.

However, I know from local media reports and the fact the Deputy is raising the matter this morning that there clearly is some form of issue, which I hope we can address in some way here. It is important for me to note that it is disappointing for me to tell the House this morning that different agencies are seemingly oblivious to the potential issue when a quick Google search shows Beara West Family Resource Centre has flagged the issues with Local Link in Bantry, while parents have also approached Local Link in the area. There has clearly been a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line, which it is to be hoped we can resolve.

I am grateful for the additional information set out by the Deputy.

To be honest, my script has changed four times in the past 24 hours because we have been trying to get input from the various agencies. We sorted it out this morning on Google. We had to go to Google to actually see what is happening in Beara. I will take this up because I do not think people in their various offices realise the impact on young people with additional needs who are trying to get to their day services or rehabilitative training. The importance of this training is that it is their next step into paid employment. If we do not have the links in place, how can we expect to support families or young people with additional needs? The whole idea of the school leaver programme is to ensure we scaffold people to know exactly where the services are, how they can get to them and how those services can be depended upon, as opposed to having people in offices telling me yesterday and today they are not aware of any issues.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response and engagement with this issue. She mentioned that people in west Beara have approached Local Link. I assure the Minister of State that I have also met with Local Link on this issue. It is doing everything it can to try to find additional funding support. At present, it simply does not have the funds to provide an additional service. It already runs free services for which it fundraises, including transport to addiction services in west Cork. I assure the Minister of State that Local Link is doing its level best. It just needs more funding to be able to provide this service. The young people concerned currently have a temporary service. It is a matter of saving it and its positive impact. In essence, the solution is ready and in place. It just needs the Government funding. I pay tribute to the young people and their families who have campaigned tirelessly on this issue, in addition to the local St. Vincent de Paul community and Beara West Family Resource Centre. They should all be acknowledged. The rural community has shown what is possible. It is now time for the Government to support it.

The integration of services is crucial. As the Minister of State mentioned, we have some of the highest rates of unemployment among disabled people in the EU and high levels of social exclusion and poverty. We need to do everything we can to support dynamic young people like these. Some of those who attend the National Learning Network in Bantry have an incredible success rate. Last year, 92% of the students there progressed to either part- or full-time employment or further education and training. That is an incredible figure, rivalling the universities in Cork. Enabling their access to this facility is not only about their rights; it is potentially life-changing.

This situation also underlines the need for improved public transport more generally on the Beara Peninsula. I do not know if the Minister of State knows this, but the Connecting Ireland plan would see Castletownbere being classified as a local route rather than a regional one, which would downgrade the entire connectivity of the Beara Peninsula, when we all know there are no public services there that people could access. This case provides clear evidence of the need for that to change. With dependable daily transport, these young people and others could access training, employment, day services, social outlets and so on. As the new year approaches, we need a solution to this matter. Given the emotion surrounding it, the sooner clarity can be provided, the better. I again thank the Minister of State for her response.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I ask her to bear with me as we get to the bottom of it. It is very clear from Google that the family resource centre raised in excess of €10,000 to keep the bus on the road. I will talk to the Minister for Transport over the coming days and engage with the NTA. It is also important to realise that, within disability services, I pay out more than €54 million a year to support transport. There is surely a way the Department of Transport and the Department of Health can work together to ensure that where there are more local areas, everybody who can attend services gets on the bus.

On paid employment, as the Deputy said, that education piece from transitional school leaving to the National Learning Network, the rehabilitative training programmes and on into paid employment are the opportunities we are talking about. They should not just be opportunities but a right for everybody, regardless of their geographic location, to be able to attend. I will come back to the Deputy.