Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will respond to the report published recently by a foundation (details supplied) which recommends increased State financial support to replace dependence on mobile phone recycling; the extension to age six as the qualifying cut off point of State support for services, the last two years of which are currently borne by the foundation from their annual fund-raising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8272/10]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE provided funding of €585,000 to the Jack and Jill Foundation in 2009 and will be happy to consider the report "There's no Place like Home" as part of its engagement with the Foundation this year.

Neither my Department nor the HSE were involved in the preparation of this report. I agree that, in general, children's needs are most appropriately met and provided in the home, and that we need to ensure more efficient use of resources. However, many children availing of services provided by the Jack and Jill Foundation also avail of other disability services, and the report did not compare the respective costs of the home based care provided by the Foundation with the cost of similar services provided by the HSE.

The current economic and budgetary position means we can only continue to fund new services by reducing costs and greater efficiency, including achieving greater integration of services provided by the statutory and non-statutory sectors. I should mention in this context that my Department is undertaking a review of the efficiency and effectiveness of the health and personal services provided to people with disabilities. This review is part of the Government's Value for Money and Policy Review programme. The review will focus, in particular, on the scope for achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness from the substantial resources expended on services for people with disabilities, and will support the future planning and development of such services. I can assure the Deputy that the issues raised in the Jack and Jill Report will be considered as part of that review.