David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 13: To ask the Minister for Health the progress that has been made in placing the National Quality Standards for Residential Services for People with Disabilities on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17870/11]

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 16: To ask the Minister for Health the action he will take to address the unacceptable conditions in residential care for many persons with intellectual disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17897/11]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 16 together.

This Government is committed to ensuring that vulnerable people with disabilities in residential services are safeguarded and protected, and that their quality of life is enhanced.

National Quality Standards: Residential Services for People with Disabilities were published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in 2009. The standards will provide a national framework for quality, safe services for people with disabilities in residential settings.

The current Programme for Government includes a commitment to put these standards on a statutory footing and ensure that the services are inspected by HIQA. I am pleased to confirm, as I announced on 16th June last, that discussions have begun between the Department of Health and HIQA to progress this commitment.

Compliance with the HIQA standards is already included in the Service Level Arrangements between the HSE and service providers in the disability sector. Service providers are required to have systems in place to assess quality and standards and to specify the actions being taken to maintain and monitor quality and service standards. Examples of such monitoring actions could include audit tools appropriate to the service, service user evaluations and satisfaction surveys, and carer and service evaluations. I understand that some service providers have also commenced a review of their services in the context of the HIQA standards.

It is now generally accepted that large residential institutions are no longer appropriate for the provision of accommodation for people with disabilities. In this context, a report on 'Congregated Settings' was published on Tuesday 28th June 2011 by the HSE. 'Congregated Settings' are defined as living arrangements (whose primary purpose is the provision of services to people with intellectual, physical or sensory disabilities) where ten or more people share a single living unit or where the living arrangements are campus-based. The report recommends a move away from congregated/institutional type settings for the 4,000 people who resided in such settings in 2008, to community based settings over a seven year time frame. Since 2008 the numbers residing in such settings have been reduced to approximately 3,600 and there are plans in place to move a further 50 people to community based settings in 2011.

The HSE has informed my Department that it will engage with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that an action plan to address the recommendations of the report is developed and implemented. The Department of Health is also engaging with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to the development of a housing strategy for people with disabilities, which will take account of the findings of the Congregated Settings report.