Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for the opportunity to outline the position on the rehabilitative training bonus payment and to clear up some of the misleading information that was unfortunately put out during the summer period when the Seanad and Dáil were closed.

The Government's priority is to provide access to high-quality day services to as many people with disabilities as possible. The HSE currently funds day services for more than 27,000 people with disabilities, including day services and RT programmes. Placements in day services are invaluable as they provide people with disabilities with a range of supports to allow them to make the types of choices available to other adults, enabling them to live independent lives of their choosing.

The HSE's New Directions policy seeks to reconfigure and personalise HSE-funded adult day services and offers a flexible and individualised set of supports to enable each person to live a life of their choosing in accordance with their own wishes and needs.

The RT programmes are designed to equip participants with basic personal, social and work-related skills. Approximately 2,300 people attend RT programmes and since the start of September, approximately 400 school leavers have commenced their RT programme.The rehabilitative training bonus payment is currently payable at a rate of €31.80 per week to attendees of these programmes, who can attend for a period of up to four years. The rehabilitative training bonus was introduced in 2001, aligned with a similar FÁS training bonus that later became the SOLAS vocational training programme payment. It is important to note that this payment was reduced in 2011 and discontinued in 2012.

Over the next four years, from September 2019, the rehabilitative training bonus will not apply to new attendees. Rather, the money that would have been spent on the bonus, estimated at approximately €3.7 million over four years, will be redirected to address unmet need in day service provision for people with disabilities. The redirected funding, which the HSE has confirmed will be ring-fenced, which is a word often used by colleagues, will create approximately 148 additional full day placements, or 370 additional enhanced day places nationally, for those with a reduced service or no service based on priority need. These new day services will be of great support to those with a disability and their families.

Each community healthcare organisation area will have the flexibility to redirect its own savings to address local service requirements, of which there are many, and the HSE has confirmed it will be reporting regularly to the Department of Health on the additional placements realised. I emphasise the 3,200 current participants in rehabilitative training programmes will not be affected and will retain their allowance, and their payments will continue until they complete their four-year programme.

It is important to note that while the majority of attendees of HSE day services qualify for disability allowance, paid at a rate of €203 per week, which was increased in the three most recent budgets, they also qualify for a free travel pass. The additional rehabilitative training bonus payment is only payable to attendees of rehabilitative training programmes. This decision will maximise the use of finite resources and, crucially, will ensure that all attendees of HSE-funded day services have the same level of support.

There is no cut to the payment of the rehabilitative training bonus and there is no cut to the number of rehabilitative training places available. Since 2 September, approximately 400 school leavers who opted for a rehabilitative training placement have commenced attending their programmes.