Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are at the end of the day and time constraints should not be the issue.

I would love to give the formal answer and read out the five pages prepared but that would not satisfy anyone. The prepared answer goes into Government policy, which we all know, particularly Senators Conway and Mulcahy. Some €1.4 billion is spent on disability and 80% of it goes to non-statutory agencies that deliver disability services. There are 300 agencies around the country. My prepared answer is available to any Member who wants it and it provides worthwhile information.

The big advantage we have this year is a director dealing specifically with disability and older people. He is very familiar with the area, having been the regional director of operations for HSE south. I know him well, although I was not part of the interview process and had nothing to do with it. Everyone recognises that he has in-depth knowledge of the area. His credentials are the fact that such difficulties or crises did not exist in HSE south, because Mr. Pat Healy is very capable of managing issues and is au fait with possible difficulties so that they can be dealt with as they arise.

When we concluded budgetary negotiations, he managed to get €4 million for those under 18 years of age. That is where we need to be. The issue involves the availability of a service when people need it rather than relying on a diagnosis of disability. Legally, we are still obliged to carry out a diagnosis because it is part of the Disability Act. We must also carry out an assessment of needs. The difficulty is that I can afford to have my child diagnosed at an early age by paying €600 or €1,200, and the diagnosis gives me access to services. This is unfair and unequal because some people cannot pay for a diagnosis.

The €4 million set aside for those under 18 will have a major impact on the service. We must continue to deliver a service in the community as opposed to having the service tied up with service providers. Senator Mulcahy will agree with that point and we must ensure it happens. There are groups, maybe one or two or more, providing the types of service the Clare Crusaders provide. I know about the Clare Crusaders. They are providing the service on the basis that mainstreaming is what we all want to do. It is about how people live their lives rather than how they interact with services. A combination of elements coming together will make sure we deliver the service in the way groups such as the Clare Crusaders are delivering it. Groups such as the Bray Lakers have a similar model. The legislation, in terms of capacity, will change things fundamentally for people with disabilities.

We are going to start to do things differently. I know the director has very clear ideas on how to change the service and his aim in life is to ensure that people live as normal a life as possible. I will bring to his attention the fact that the likes of Clare Crusaders do not receive any funding. I should say to both Senators that it is always tempting, when an organisation works extremely well without receiving State funding, providing a service with which everybody is happy, to tell the people involved they are doing a great job and leave it at that. I very much take on board that the group that is there now will not always be there. I suppose it needs to be more established.

I will bring the concerns of both Senators to Mr. Healy, the new director of social care, and I will ask him to look at these matters. We are confined with regard to funding and it is not like the good old days when we could go back and get more. That is not how it works any more. I will consult with the director about having a serious look at the issue. He knows the group involved. The beauty of having a director with responsibility for the service in the entire country - along with planning and development of services - is that there is a degree of flexibility. I thank the Senators for raising the matter.