Results 201-220 of 9,625 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Senator. There are issues in Cork but there are other counties and people listening in around the country saying that they have issues in their area too. We need to ramp up the funding and the forward planning for respite, day services, residential care, independent living and ensuring that it works not just for those areas but to enable people so they do not have to go into...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I have figures for the Senator's question relating to the data. This is derived from the children's disability network teams workforce survey that was carried out on 9 April 2025. The HSE is finalising the report but the preliminary data has been shared with my Department. The survey assessed staffing levels across various disciplines and grades, offering a comprehensive snapshot across...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank Deputy Toole for that. She spoke about the NCSE, CDNTs and the lack of therapists. That is the elephant in the room here. We have full employment in this country. We are looking at innovative ways to hire more people. It is about retention and recruitment. That is why we have the domestic and international recruitment work happening. The Deputy mentioned the ETBs and...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: Not of that particular case but I will respond in general because as I have travelled around the country I have heard about how long it takes for CAS to work in the disability sector. I have seen examples of lovely housing but it just took too long and it is very cumbersome. As part of our meetings within the Cabinet committee on disability, which is attended by the Minister for housing,...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: The HSE needs the funding so there is not an emergency situation, of which we all know about, where somebody needs housing at the last minute. The HSE must be able to forward plan and work these structures with the Department of housing. It is important that we make it easier for the HSE to work with local authorities to plan this housing and these specialist types of housing. The Brothers...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: Yes.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: The first issue is the assessment of need. Everyone will continue to have a statutory right to an assessment of need.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: No. Everyone agrees that the process is not working. Everyone can have a statutory right but the process is broken.

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

Hildegarde Naughton: The work we are doing on the assessment of need has not been finalised. However, the aim is to ensure people are provided with assessments in a more timely and efficient manner. We must also ensure the processing time is more efficient. We can reduce the waiting time for assessment of need applicants. The legislative focus on Part 2 of the Disability Act will be supported by operational...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: To answer the Deputy's question on the number of unfilled whole-time equivalents, there are 445.4 unfilled positions. We have provided additional posts year on year in order that the actual vacancy rate would be reduced. We have provided additional posts and we have never had more in post. We have more people working in CDNTs now than ever before but we must ensure we can cope with...

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

Hildegarde Naughton: Does the Deputy mean a link worker to support families?

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...