Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In recent days we celebrated the 18th birthday of the iCARE organisation in the Inishowen Peninsula of Donegal. It provides precious support to more than 100 children and young people with autism and their families. It is a vital service, not just for the Inishowen Peninsula but further afield. For all of these 18 years it has kept the door open by relentless fundraising and has had tremendous support from the wider community. We are speaking about parents and carers who are tired and weary and who have been taken for granted for far too long by the State.

The HSE refers families and young people with intellectual disabilities to iCARE but until this year, when it provided some funding, it had not provided funding resources. Not so long ago in this Chamber I held up a map that showed where the funding went throughout the 26 counties of this State. Out of a large number of organisations, only one north of the famous Galway to Dublin line got funding. The Bluestack Special Needs Foundation, which is based in Donegal town, is fantastic. It, iCARE and Extern applied for funding and, yet again, were turned down. There was absolute outrage at this and it was clear there was discrimination against the people of Donegal. We all stood together and the HSE has finally given some funding to Bluestack Special Needs Foundation and iCARE this year.

What the families and carers in the Inishowen Peninsula and the rest of Donegal, iCARE and the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation need to know now is that there will be a service level agreement with the HSE with funding on an ongoing basis to take the pressure off them. I understand that following a meeting last Friday HSE management in the region, including Donegal, is recommending funding for the two organisations. The decision now lies with the senior management of the HSE, the Department of Health, the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities and the Minister for Health. I am asking for confirmation that both organisations will have the funding they desperately need and the pressure will be taken off them. They cannot continue. Both organisations almost closed this year. That would have been a disaster for the families, children and young people with intellectual disabilities and other disabilities. We cannot have repeat of this in 2019. We need it dealt with once and for all. When we think that iCARE has waited 18 years and Bluestack Special Needs Foundation has waited 12 years they have proven the need. They have worked tirelessly and now need State funding. I urge the Minister of State to give us good news today.