Results 1-20 of 9,625 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Financial Resolutions 2025 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (8 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak this evening. When this Government took office last January, we promised a step change in the delivery of supports and services for people with disabilities and their families. Budget 2026 is the first step in delivering on this ambition. Some €3.83 billion will be provided to specialist disability services in 2026. That is an...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services (8 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue and offering me the opportunity to respond. Day services are Health Service Executive-funded programmes for people with intellectual disabilities, autism or complex physical disabilities. That includes a range of centre-based and community-based activities. Access to services is based on an individual’s needs rather than on...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Disability Services (8 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I hear the concerns the Senator is raising. I will continue my engagement with the HSE to make sure the service gets up and running. I have been told by the HSE that some of the staff are in place and that recruitment is ongoing. I absolutely accept and understand the consistency and surety that are needed for individuals who want to use this day service, and they must get that. We need...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (7 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Care Services (7 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (7 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 527 and 528 together. As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Assisted Decision-Making (7 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 536 and 537 together. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 marked a milestone moment in Ireland, bringing about an end to wardship in the State for adults, by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and replacing the wards of court system with the new process for appointing tiered decision support arrangements that is now in place. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Assisted Decision-Making (7 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy for their question regarding the discharge of all wards of court from wardship and their transition to appropriate decision support arrangements under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, 2015 and under the supervision of the Decision Support Service (DSS). Under Part 6 of the 2015 Act, the wardship court is required to discharge all wards of court. While...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (1 Oct 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 169 together. As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (30 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy for this question in relation to the provision of accessible toilet facilities. I know from my engagement with disabled people that this is a critical issue when it comes to accessing vital services and participation in social and cultural life. Government launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which is Ireland’s comprehensive...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (30 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: Ensuring that people with disabilities can live lives of their choosing in accessible housing and as independently as possible is a key priority for Government. That is why housing was a key consideration throughout the development process for the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. As part of the development process for the Strategy, my...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Early Childhood Care and Education (30 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The HSE provides specialist disability services, including Day Services and Rehabilitative Training, to people with disabilities who require such services, and people with intellectual disabilities would form the majority of service users who are supported by these services. While day service funding does not include transport, some transport supports are provided by the HSE or funded...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Assisted Decision-Making (25 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy for their question regarding the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) and the system of wardship. The 2015 Act brought about an end to wardship in the State for adults, by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and replacing the wards of court system with the new process for appointing tiered decision support arrangements that is now...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I will come back and follow up in writing on that. The Deputy makes a good point as well. I always stress when travelling around the country and visiting services that there is a lot of fantastic work happening within the disability sector. Sometimes those working within the sector talk to me about the narrative out there. We all understand the challenges that have to be dealt with and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention, and the programme for Government, as the Deputy knows, commits to ensuring children and their families get that early intervention and therapy input, and that they can access that support in a timely way. A key response to this issue is the recruitment and retention of health and social care professionals, and I alluded...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I do not have the figures for that but I can tell the Deputy that the focus of Government, and my focus and that of the Minister, Deputy Foley, is to make sure we are increasing the number of speech and language therapists and occupational therapists so that they are actually going out there providing the therapies. As the Deputy knows with regard to the backlog of assessment of need, a lot...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy, and I will come back to him if I have those figures available to me. He raised an important point around early intervention. I refer to the earliest milestones, and a child not reaching them. What is happening now is a lot of these pressures are coming into the education system. Where a need is identified we need to be flagging it much earlier and providing the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: The Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and of ensuring they receive the right service at the right time. Under the programme for Government we are committed to ensuring that children and their families who need early intervention and therapy input can access that support in a timely way. The key vehicle for change and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: That is the breakdown I received but I will go back and see if there is a further breakdown. The Deputy's question was specific but those were the figures I got back. I will come back to the Deputy if there is a further breakdown. My Department and I know that more needs to be done in this area. My Department is working with the HSE to introduce specific recruitment and retention...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Disability Services (23 Sep 2025)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government and I recognise the need for all children to receive the right services at the right time. We are committed to improving services for all children with disabilities. We have and will continue to do so. As the Deputy will know, there are currently 93 CDNTs across the country and these teams provide services and supports for children from...