Results 9,401-9,420 of 9,489 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Bernard Gloster and the HSE are looking at both issues. These are operational matters for them. I know that Mr. Gloster is working on that single point of access. Regardless of whether a person needs to access CAMHS, primary care or a CDNT, there will be one point of entry and it will be signposted so that people are not just put on waiting lists. The HSE has commenced its work on...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I visited the site. I met fantastic service providers and users at St. Mary of the Angels and was so impressed with the work at the site, in addition to that at St. Francis Special School. Elected politicians sometimes take different sides but it is great that we have a unified voice on this. It is important to state, however, that it is the board of St. Mary of the Angels that will...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: If I forget any of the questions, the Deputy should remind me of them. The Government recognised, having regard to the autism innovation strategy, that there is a need to review and update the existing disability legislation, or consider where a need for new legislation may exist. This is particularly true following our ratification of the UNCRPD. My priority is to ensure the policy...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: On the one-stop shops, AsIAm has proposed to establish a new model of support called a one-stop shop. This, as the Deputy stated, was successfully implemented in Scotland in 2005. One-stop shops provide a focal point in the community for autistic people and their families to access guidance and support. AsIAm has signed a lease at Swift's Alley for the one-stop shop east premises. That...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: AsIAm was funded. It got €204,500 from the HSE under a section 39 grant aid agreement in 2022. In 2023, it received €250,000 under a section 39 grant aid agreement with the HSE. In 2024, it received €542,974 from the HSE under a service arrangement. In 2025, it has received €642,974 in funding from the HSE. Discussions on that are ongoing. As these are rolled...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: There is, yes.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The first issue the Deputy raised was around occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and CORU. These are some of the conversations we are having at meetings of the Cabinet subcommittee on disability. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has met with CORU on speech and language therapists and occupational therapists because it all feeds into the assessments of...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Minister will be engaging in her own Estimates process for extra resourcing around this. The NCSE has been resourced but I absolutely take the Deputy's point. Have I answered all the Deputy's questions?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Respite has grown steadily in recent years. I know we have issues across the country. There was a year-on-year increase of nearly 10,000 overnights and 20,000 day sessions in respite in 2024. Some 7,000 people were supported by over 65,000 day respite sessions and over 160,000 respite overnights. We still have a very large unmet need. Respite is in many cases interconnected with...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank Senator Byrne. On the primary medical certificate, the position is that disabled drivers, including primary medical certificates, are a matter for the Department of Finance. It has carried out a review, which will be progressed under the national disability strategy. The Department of Transport will also look at this. Senator Byrne is absolutely correct. As we have all said...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: We have increased funding over the years but it is coming from a low base. We have €3.2 billion in the 2025 budget for disability but, as I said, we have so much more to do and so much more to fund. This is a top priority for the Government and we need to make sure we get it right. The only way we are going to get it right is to make sure we continue to engage with those disability...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The DPOs and the disability groups are good and constructive advocates. They have helped me in my role and they have had huge engagement with the Department before I came into the role.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: As I travel around in this role, and in previous roles, I know there is a lot of frustration, for example, in families. I meet parents in particular who speak to me about getting access to services. I am acutely aware of that.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Absolutely, yes.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: It is funny that Senator Clonan mentions Australia, as I met with the Australian minister and the minister from New Zealand at the United Nations conference on disability in New York. We had conversations about what was working well over there and what we can learn. I travelled to the UN with many DPOs. The representatives of the disability sector in Ireland who were part of the conference...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Minister, Deputy Foley, dealt with the Bill in the Seanad. A review is taking place at the moment. It is not that we object to the Bill. In fact, that was part of my conversations when I was at the UN with the Australian minister. We want to do this, but a review is under way. A pilot was put in place and we want to see how it is has worked. We want to make sure that we get it...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Disability is a top priority. At our first Cabinet meeting in Áras an Uachtaráin, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste said to all the Cabinet Ministers around the table that they have disability in their brief and if they do not know what it is they should go away and find out. That is the priority the Government has given to this issue. I sit on the Cabinet committee. The...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: This is about doing the right thing.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Deputy Daly has given a really good example that we would have all had. I have parents coming to me in my constituency office of an older disabled child wondering what is going to happen to their child when they pass away. We cannot answer that question but we know they will be housed. It will become an emergency situation, which is not good. There is no clarity for the parents. That is...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Jul 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: In relation to the assessment of need, that will remain a statutory right for people. That is guaranteed. What we need to do is look at the process, make it more efficient and make the waiting times more efficient as well. We need to also look at hiring of speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, OTs, and also dietitians and social workers. It is not just therapists....