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

I accept the point made by Senator van Turnhout on this matter. Why do we insist on having disability rooted in the area of health? If I manage to change that, it will be a significant achievement.

In addition to ongoing implementation of the actions being undertaken under the national disability strategy implementation plan, a key initiative is being progressed with regard to employment. Work has a central role in most people's lives and its benefits are as important for people with disabilities as they are for others in society. We are committed to publishing a comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities, the aim of which will be to ensure more people with disabilities can access work, services at local level are co-ordinated and there is joined-up access across agency boundaries to deliver more seamless supports. I will probably find the Minister for Social Protection waiting for me outside the door if she hears me state that I fully concur with Mr. Martin Naughten when he asks how we can possibly have a comprehensive employment strategy if we do not allow people with disabilities to be considered unemployed. I know this is a sensitive issue and many people with disabilities do not wish to be included in the unemployment figures but that decision must be a matter of choice. We must give people with disabilities the option of being included in the unemployment statistics.

The development of the comprehensive employment strategy is bringing together actions by different Departments and State agencies in a concerted effort to address barriers that impact on the employment of people with disabilities. Significant work has been undertaken and a draft strategy is being reviewed and will be discussed further at the upcoming meeting of the national disability strategy implementation group. Its publication is included in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment's Action Plan for Jobs 2014 and its subsequent implementation will be overseen by the Cabinet committee on Pathways to Work. This Government has protected the provision for special educational spending since coming into office. Some €1.3 billion will be spent in support of children with special educational needs this year. We must stop talking about the €1.4 billion that is spent on disability in the health area because €6.4 billion is being spent on disability across all areas.

There are now a greater number of special needs assistants, SNAs, and resource teachers in schools than at any time previously. The provision has been increased by 390 SNA posts, resulting in 10,965 SNA posts being made available for allocation by the end of 2014. An additional 480 resource teaching posts have been made available for the current school year to meet growing demand from schools for low incidence special educational needs support. This brings to more than 10,700 the number of resource teaching and learning support teachers in mainstream schools, which is more than at any time previously. This year, provision is also made for enhanced capitation payments for special schools or specialist schools, as I describe them, and special classes, specialist transport arrangements and assistive technology support.

This Government also encourages and facilitates the participation of young adults, including people with disabilities, in further education and training programmes and provides funding for a range of educational and training programmes that offer guidance, access, transfer and progression opportunities for learners along the national framework for qualifications. These include: the back to education initiative; support for learners attending courses through the provision of payments, allowances, and maintenance grants; the fund for students with disabilities, which supports full-time students with disabilities in further and higher education institutions; SOLAS specialist training providers to people with disabilities, with 2,110 places available annually in specialist training provision; and the disability access route to education scheme, which provides a third level admissions scheme for school leavers.

The Government currently provides funding of more than €1.4 billion to the Health Service Executive's disability services programme and is committed to protecting front-line services for people with disabilities to the greatest possible extent. We all recognise the circumstances in which the country finds itself. In 2014, the Health Service Executive is seeking to maximise the provision of services within available resources by providing the following specialist disability services: residential services to more than 9,000 people; day services to more than 22,000 people; respite residential support for nearly 6,000 people; and 3.7 million personal assistant-home support hours.

Senator van Turnhout has a particular interest in this area and is always well informed. However, it is wrong to continue to argue that there is no difference between the level of resources provided for school leavers this year and in previous years or to refer to bits and pieces of places. This year, for the first time, we have a plan that is based on evidence. Additional funding of €14 million has been provided to address priority needs within disability services identified by the Minister and advised to the HSE. Some €7 million of this sum has been allocated for additional places for school leavers and rehabilitative training graduates, with a further €3 million allocated for emergency residential placements and €4 million to deliver an increase in services for children with disabilities, including autism, and reduce waiting lists. These services are being provided in the community for children aged from birth to 18 years to ensure children do not have to be accessing any particular service to secure an intervention.

To maintain current service levels while supporting people to achieve their full potential, including living as independently as possible, significant reconfiguration of existing resources will be required. This will be in line with the recommendations in the value for money and policy review of disability services, with new and sustainable models of service being implemented to meet changing needs and increasing demographic pressures. Our focus is to bring about reform that will positively impact on the way in which people with disabilities are supported to live the lives of their choice. In addition, throughout 2014 the Health Information and Quality Authority will continue to register and monitor standards in designated residential centres for people with disabilities. This practice, which has been called for by the disability sector for a number of years, commenced in November 2013. I note the presence in the Gallery of Mr. John Dolan who has been making this call for some time.

I note that Mr. John Dolan is in the Gallery and this is something he has been seeking for some time.

For some people with a disability, a direct funding model may be the best approach so that individuals with a disability can receive direct payments to manage their own personal assistance service. The Government will support the provision of a personal assistance service within the overall framework of the migration to a person-centred supports model and individualised funding, in the context of the implementation of the value for money review by the HSE and the Department of Health. In response to what Senator van Turnhout said, the value for money review was never about saving money but about finding out what value we were getting for the money we were spending and ensuring that value was delivered to the person in need of the service.

In essence, individualised budgeting gives more choice and control over how moneys allocated to meet an individual's needs are utilised. This might or might not involve the transfer of funds to the individual. The move towards an individualised budgeting framework raises legal and practical issues and will require careful consideration and possibly legislation in due course.

Demonstration projects are already under way to examine the practical aspects of introducing this major change and to establish the costs and benefits. An analysis of the projects will commence towards the end of 2014. The balance and emphasis will shift towards these new models once sufficient analysis is carried out.

The role of a personal assistant is to assist a person with a disability to maximise their independence through supporting them to live and to access community facilities. The PA works on a one-to-one basis, in the home or in the community. A vital element is the full involvement of the individual. We acknowledge the role of PA services in supporting the person with a disability to realise the entitlements set out in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The HSE provides a range of assisted living services, including PA services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives. While the resources for the provision of assisted living services available are substantial, they are finite. Services are determined by the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria and the level of resources available. In the normal course of service delivery, reviews are undertaken throughout the year to ensure that if needs change, which may mean increased needs or reduced needs, the service provided will address this change within the overall available resources.

I welcome the opportunity provided by this debate to put on the record the Government's position on services for people with disabilities. There is an onus on us all to use the substantial resources committed to disability services across the public sector more efficiently, but also to achieve better outcomes for that funding and to bring about a real and substantial improvement in the lives of people with disabilities. This is a central tenet of the national disability strategy and a high priority for me. As the country's economy and circumstances improve, I am sure we can build on the substantial work already done.