Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here. I raise this matter because I believe it is incredibly important. It is the need to provide ring-fenced funding towards transport for those in receipt of adult disability day services. Currently, children in special schools who are in receipt of disability day services can receive transport to and from their service until they turn 18 years of age. At that point, when they graduate from special schools to adult disability day services, there is no longer a provision for transport services. This makes services inaccessible to a lot of those with disabilities. It is incredibly unfair that a service that is available before you hit 18 is then taken away when you hit 18. People are unable to access their services because of this. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. It is vital that this service be made available to them.

Access to transport to avail of these services can in certain cases be the difference between a service user being in day services or residential care. In cases where parents or care providers cannot provide transport, and given that many of these service users cannot use public transport, the possibility of residential care at that point has to be examined. I am aware of many families, particularly elderly care providers and parents, who are in that situation because transport is not available.

Carers are already under pressure. Often, when they are looking after a child or adult with a disability, they have other obligations in their household. They may be looking after elderly parents or have other children in the household. That this transport is not available for those in receipt of these services is grossly unfair in this day and age. These are some of the most vulnerable in our society. I come across a lot of these cases in my area of north-west Cork. Last week, I had a call from a lady whose son turns 18 in August. As a result, he is no longer able to go to the special school he is attending, even though some of his mainstream peers will be going on to do the leaving certificate. He will then be in receipt of adult disability day services. Thankfully, he has been able to receive a service, but the lack of transport means he may be unable to access it. There are so many cases like this around the country. This young man's mother said that if it was the case that his disability disappeared when he turned 18, she would be absolutely delighted but obviously that is not going to happen. Why then will his transport facility and funding disappear when he turns 18?

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Naughton, thanks the Senator for raising this important issue, and I am responding on her behalf.

The HSE provides specialist disability services, including day services and rehabilitative training, to people with disabilities who require such services. While day service funding does not include transport, some transport supports are provided by the HSE and funded agencies on a discretionary basis, and a variety of transport solutions are pursued in different regional health areas. These include travel training to enable public transport to be used, where appropriate, local transport such as Local Link, private bus transport and taxis. Some service providers provide transport where capacity exists.

In general, day service users are in receipt of disability allowance and are automatically entitled to the free travel pass. The HSE has been working with the National Transport Authority on the issue of transport to day services through the open routes project. Open routes is based on the idea that transport to HSE services, such as day services, would be best served by accessible local public transport, such as Local Link transporting people to their day services, but also serving the wider local community with enhanced public transport provision. This approach is being piloted in County Leitrim.The National Transport Authority advises that the integrated pilot project was developed in close collaboration with the HSE, with a revised network that is designed to meet the needs of mainstream public transport users as well as the transport needs of passengers with disabilities and those accessing health care services in the county. To date all feedback with regard to the pilot from stakeholders such as the HSE, day service providers, external stakeholders and passengers has been very positive. In addition to the positive feedback, passenger numbers on regular rural services have grown considerably since the introduction of the revised TFI Local Link network for County Leitrim. This is a model that could be considered by the National Transport Authority for application elsewhere as appropriate. The forthcoming National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 will feature transport and mobility as a key pillar, acknowledging the important role that reliable and accessible solutions play in supporting the economic and social inclusion of disabled people.

Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply and appreciate that this is not his Ministry. I find the reply incredibly disappointing. As the Minister of State has noted, there are transport services available on a limited and discretionary basis. There are no guidelines. There is not even a means test in place. I have thankfully worked closely with some of the fortunate recipients and from what I can see, it is available on a "he or she who shouts the loudest" basis. The idea that the funding is there on a discretionary basis with absolutely no guidelines is not good enough. It falls between Departments. I previously raised this matter through the HSE South forum and Cork County Council. Health told me to go to transport and transport and told me to go to health. This is falling between two or even three stools, with the Department of disability as well.

I welcome the update about the open routes project. While it is a really good project, I am not sure how applicable it is in very remote and rural areas. I note the pilot is in Leitrim and seems to be going very well. As well as those to whom it is not available in terms of geography, there are also those who would not have the ability to independently access public transport. I know that open routes is a more accommodating way of doing this. For the more severe kids and adults who are starting off with their disability day services, they may not be able to use that. A public transport-based system, even if it is something like open routes, is not going to be accessible to them, which makes their service less accessible.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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The ambition of this Government is to bring about a step change in the services for people with disability in Ireland. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability and the Government are committed to the expansion and reform of disability services in order to maximise people's independence and help to support them to live their lives on the same basis as all other citizens. In addition to the open routes project already referred to, during 2024 the Department of Children, Disability and Equality supported two transport-related initiatives. First, it sanctioned a one-off funding measure of €3.6 million to be used for the upgrade and replacement of transport vehicles in day services, building on a similar approach to addressing the issue of ageing vehicles in disability residential and respite services in 2021. This funding was specifically aimed at supporting the provision of vehicles for transport to day services where other transport solutions were not available or where an ageing fleet existed. Second, there was funding through the Dormant Accounts Fund for an in-school travel training pilot in the former CHO 3 mid-west area to support young people transitioning to a HSE-funded day service to undertake travel training in their final year at school. In line with the whole-of-government approach to supporting mainstream services to better support those with disabilities, which is reflected in the national disability inclusion strategy, the Department of Transport has responsibility for the continued development of accessibility and availability of accessible public transport, and for developing proposals for better co-ordination of transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities. A transport working group was established to make progress under the relevant action of the strategy. The group's final report has been published and contains valuable proposals to inform future policy and action. It will be incumbent on all Government Departments and agencies with responsibility for transport and mobility supports to consider the proposals in the context of the next steps.