Results 1-20 of 10,149 for speaker:Anne Rabbitte

Disability and Special Needs Provision: Motion [Private Members] (19 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Deputies for bringing forward this motion and I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House to reassure Deputies that the Government is fully committed to people with disabilities and their families. I do, of course, acknowledge that there are important challenges that we must address, many of them raised by the Deputies in their contributions, if disability services are to fully...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Funding (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: Let us be clear. If they are successful in coming through the pilot at the end of October and I am supportive of funding private therapist capacity, I will request that it is brought forward, as opposed to waiting until October.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Funding (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue for discussion. As Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, I remain fully committed to the continued development and enhancement of our children’s disability services. This includes school-based therapy supports for special schools, including St. Killian’s in Cork and across the country. I met with the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Funding (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I take it the Deputies are all asking the same question, and "Yes" is the answer. I repeat that, in regard to the provision of private therapies for children with disabilities, the Government and I remain supportive of the use of available private capacity, and the funding of same. This is only possible for schools which are part of the pilot. We will name the ten additional schools by the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Funding (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: It will be announced in October, but I can bring that forward. My understanding from meeting the principal and the delegates who came before me was that they have something ready to roll and are able to access private capacity-----

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I welcome this motion as an opportunity to debate the important issue of early learning and childcare. It is clear from the debate so far that we all recognise the importance of early learning and childcare for children and their families as well as for society and the wider economy. In opposing the Deputies' motion and putting forward a countermotion, the Government’s objective is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Cathaoirleach, the committee and its officials. I apologise for my lateness. I am pleased to be able to address today’s session to discuss aligning disability funding with the UNCRPD. At the outset, I acknowledge the cross-party work of this committee and its efforts in seeking to drive progress for people with disabilities in line with its remit to monitor...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: The Deputy asked about respite and I have made commitments there. Yesterday, I published the €15 million respite investment plan. I do not know whether she has yet seen it, but she will see clearly how the €15 million is being spent among the nine CHOs. In her area, CHO 1, €1.6 million has been allocated this year, which will amount to more over the full year. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: In respect of under-65s in nursing homes, I would be interested to hear where the Deputy got her figure of one person per day-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: All right. As of May 2024, 1,242 residents under the age of 65 were in nursing homes, of whom 85% were over the age of 50. Funding has been provided to support 81 people to transition to homes of their choosing within the community. A total of 340 residents will continue in their nursing home placement due to their current personal will and preference or due to an assessment of their...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I will start with the disability participation awareness fund, DPAF. That money was first secured four budgets ago. Never before in the Department of Health had funding been secured for anything other than a health need. That funding was got on the basis that it is not all about health needs. When I got that funding, the first piece of it started at about €2 million. A lot of work...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: That point is part of the DFI's submission. It is looking to have disability inclusion officers. The local authorities have done that very well with Age Action. Is it not a little bit of a miss that we will have a disability officer, an inclusion officer and an age-action officer? Should we not have an inclusion team that do this? Life consists of different stages for people. Inclusion...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: Absolutely. I have constituents coming in to me about this as well. Sometimes, there has to be more of an understanding within the Departments or within the areas that are supporting those payments, so that they understand what they are reading. I sometimes think people do not understand what they are reading unless it spells out "loss of limb". I think they do not really understand the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: There are four in it and they are broken into two each. The dividing of CHO 8 did not lend itself to best serving the residents when there was a need for services. That is not just in relation to disabilities but various other waiting lists as well. The new reconfiguration will support the residents better going forward. For CHO 8, €1.8 million has been ring-fenced for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: Please read out the last piece regarding accessibility.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: We will start at the beginning. We will ask our officials to write to the Department of Transport and liaise back to the Senator straightaway with a date. Is that okay?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I will be interested in the answer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: In respect of the DSG 6, we are heading into the new disability strategy. When the last disability strategy was set up maybe there was not a huge awareness about DPOs, the person-centred approach and that lived experience. Maybe the definition of co-design actually recognises DPOs, DPROs and bringing everybody together, including the parents. There are parents of children who would like to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: All I can say is that when I go to do something within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Youth, I have 150% support from the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman. I will go to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform tomorrow and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will be sitting in front of me. While he is a tough negotiator, his is very supportive of people with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: In respect of the optional protocol, they are meeting again in September. Advice was received and is being considered. A pathway to ratification will follow as soon as possible. We are on course.