Results 5,241-5,260 of 10,824 for speaker:Anne Rabbitte

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for that question. She is dead right. If I had all the money in the world in the morning and I wanted to hand it all over to the HSE, we could not recruit because the people are not there. There is an issue with the supply pipeline. We are all drawing from the same pool of people. I refer to the gamut of services, including primary care, private practice, disability...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for that question. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, who has responsibility for older persons, is leading the work on the safeguarding legislation. I met her as recently as last night to discuss the matter. I will be feeding into that process. I will be focusing on the legislation through the lens of disability. Before coming to this meeting, I confirmed that there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: There has. I met with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, on this. We have done some research on long Covid as a disability but I can go no further than that today. "Yes", is the answer. There is work going on behind the scenes on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Deputy for that question. On decongregation, there were 144 persons assisted to be decongregated in 2021, 143 are planned for 2022 and there were 126 in 2020. That is the pathway in relation to decongregation. When we talk about decongregating, we are always looking at the challenges within it. These are not only the properties but the moving of people who in some cases have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I believe a respite house has already come on stream in CHO 7. It is a children's respite house. I do not know the exact location but will revert to the Deputy on that. Regarding Stewarts, I met a representative of the organisation yesterday, Ms Deborah Jacob, to discuss CHO 7 and we had a good conversation about our children's disability network teams. I am hoping to have further...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: The Deputy is correct that it is a function within the Department of Health. There are two elements to this issue. We all know the primary medical certificate function sits within the Department of Finance. The role of the Department of Health in the context of the primary medical certificate is to carry out the assessments through community-based primary care teams. The Department has an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: All policy options related to the mobility allowance schemes will fall under my remit on transfer to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. All the policy options that are being examined by the Department of Health in tandem with the new Department are being reviewed with a view to introducing a scheme in the not-too-distant future.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Let me be very clear: primary medical certificates do not sit under me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: It is also important for me to be clear that, even with the new conversation and the assessment, the function concerning assessments and primary medical certificates is not transferring with me. That is under community care, which pertains to the acute settings. It will not be transferring with me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: With regard to the key positions of team leads in the PDS teams, the HSE made a submission this year on funding for maternity posts. They are being funded. We are taking a step forward in recognition of the role of key workers. Where there are team leads with full teams beneath them, we will be funding the maternity positions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: The Deputy's principal question was about the under-65s. At that point in time, the answer she received meant that there was what looked like an underspend of €6 million from the HSE point of view. I am looking over at Mr. O'Regan asking if the Deputy is right. He has reassured me that at the beginning of this month, 12 out of the 18 transferred for the under-65s. I know for a fact...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: As Mr. O'Regan has said, when we are choosing respite, it must also be about the built environment. It cannot just be about coming inside the gate of the four walls. It also has to be what the community has to offer and it must be about participation within that community. I acknowledge that in CHO3 in 2021, we were very fortunate to open a respite centre there for children with complex...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: To follow up on that point by Professor MacLachlan, when one speaks of my functions, that was a function that the Department of Justice brought into the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I have worked on this function along with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman for the past 18 months. We secured funding not just in one budget but in two budgets. With the legislation coming before the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I compliment Senator Higgins and her team on the amount of work that they done through this committee in creating not just awareness but a real understanding of the role of the optional protocol, and what is expected of Government and various Departments. First, the Senator asked whether the decision support services and legislative piece work in tandem or parallel. They work completely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Absolutely, but I again reassure the Senator that the officials are engaging with the Attorney General on the optional protocol. It is essential that we ensure that the State and all of its agencies are in line with that protocol because, as the Senator has talked about, it involves a system and we can learn from it. That is why we need to enact it but I need to ensure that every system...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Senator. I will ask my colleagues in the HSE to answer some of those questions or to assist me in delivering answers to them. On the gaps, the disability action plan addresses some of them. However, we are aware that more needs to be done. On adult autism assessments, we secured funding in budget 2021 to commence this process. The Senator raised an issue which is critical...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: I forgot to mention a point to the Senator. It is important to say it at this point. One of the most progressive things I have seen as part of the PDS roll-out is that we have abolished the ageing-out aspect. That piece, in which a child fell off a cliff-edge at six years of age and had to start again, is now gone. That was one of the gaps that we identified and it has been removed. That...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: To follow up on what Mr. O'Regan said, I have a concern about the matter the Vice Chairman raised. It is not the first time that I have heard it. I have heard it numerous times. Correct me if I am wrong, but the health model is a needs-based delivery programme. It is for children who wish to access various levels of education, whether at a national school or when transitioning from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Services with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Nov 2021)

Anne Rabbitte: From a political and Government point of view, the investment has gone into SNAs and special education teachers. There is willingness to support the family, child, individual and the school. There seem to be stumbling blocks. There are different geographical locations where we are hitting barriers, which we need to peel into.