Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Health the way adult services were funded for those with an intellectual disability in 2011 and 2012; if that funding system will remain in place in 2013; If it is intended that any future funding model will be reformed in such a way that the funding follows the client; the number of clients deemed to require such services in 2011 and 2012; the number that received such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55359/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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HSE National Service Plans outline, as required in legislation, the type and volume of services to be provided each year in return for the resources made available by the Oireachtas.

Expenditure on Disability Services amounts to approximately 10.5% of the €14 billion health budget. For 2011, the total outturn for specialist Disability Services, as outlined in the HSE National Service Plan 2012 was €1.576 billion.

Expenditure on disability services provided for in the HSE National Service Plan 2012 was €1.541 billion.

The range of specialist disability services provided to people with disabilities includes:

- Residential

- Respite

- Day

- Personal Assistant

- Home Support

- Multidisciplinary supports

The funding situation for the disability sector in 2013 is not yet available pending the finalisation of the HSE's National Service Plan for 2013. Savings required globally from the Health Budget will have an impact on all services, including disability services, and it is expected that these will be outlined later this month when the Minister for Health approves the National Service Plan.

The commitment in the Programme for Government is to 'move a proportion of public spending to a personal budget model so that people with disabilities or their families have the flexibility to make choices that suit their needs best’'. It has not yet been determined whether this will require legislative change.

The move towards a personal budget model is encompassed by the recommendations in the recently published Value for Money (VFM) and Policy Review of Disability Services, which addresses the wider area of individualised budgeting and person-centred supports and services. In that context, the Minister for Health intends that the actions recommended in the VFM Review will lay the groundwork for individualised budgeting, once sufficient analysis of the benefits is carried out in the Irish context and adequate financial management, resource allocation and governance structures are in place to ensure its long-term viability. The priority is to further improve current services, while expediting the analysis of the benefits to be gained from a person-centred supports model and developing the administrative and governance infrastructure necessary for a more accountable and individualised service.

The remaining issues raised by the Deputy in relation to the number of clients deemed to require or who received such services in 2011 and 2012 are more appropriate for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, the Department has asked the HSE to provide the details requested directly to the Deputy.