Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Health if the Disability Act is working for persons with a disability; his views on whether disability funding or payments are following the person; if this will be improved; if administration costs will be reduced; and if the P.A. system will be improved in 2013. [9242/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The overall coordination of the implementation of the Disability Act 2005 is the responsibility of the Department of Justice and Equality. In respect of Part 2 of the Act, which is under the aegis of my Department, a Cross-Sectoral Team was established in 2006 to provide for a joint approach by the Department of Health and the Department of Education and Skills to the implementation of the Disability Act 2005 and the Education for Persons with Special Education Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004. The Team now includes a representative of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 provides disabled individuals with an entitlement to an independent assessment of need and a statement of proposed services to be provided, and allows them to pursue a complaint and, if necessary, make an appeal to the independent Disability Appeals Officer. Part 2 of the Act was commenced on 1 June 2007 in respect of children under the age of five. It had been intended to have both the Disability Act 2005 and the EPSEN Act 2004 fully implemented during 2010 for children and young people aged up to 18. However, in 2008 the then Government decided, in light of financial circumstances, to defer further implementation of both Acts. Notwithstanding this the Cross-Sectoral Team continues to meet to address issues of mutual concern for children with disabilities.

The Value for Money (VFM) and Policy Review of Disability Services which I published last year found that HSE funding is based on an incremental determination process with relevant adjustments made to the previous year’s baseline allocation. In recent years, the funding of new places has been made at local level on the basis of providing services to named individuals, but, once allocated, the funding does not remain associated with or follow that individual but is absorbed into the agency’s base. The move towards a model of funding which is linked to individual need, and which by definition will follow that individual, is encompassed by the recommendations in the VFM Review. It is intended 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 VFM Review also looked at the issue of administration costs, and found that there were many factors influencing the percentage of an agency’s budget which was spent on administration, including the size and function of the agency. The Review found that it was difficult to draw any conclusions about a universal approach to the generation of management/ administration savings, which were likely to vary on a case by case basis. On the broader front, the VFM Review identified significant opportunities to achieve savings in agencies’ unit cost base and to reduce average costs across the sector. Savings in management/ administration costs would be a component in this overall cost reduction.

In terms of driving efficiencies, a number of administrative areas such as Human Resources, Finance, and Procurement are being examined and progressed through the work of the National Consultative Forum. The Health Service Executive remains committed to working with all voluntary disability service providers to ensure that all of the resources available for specialist disability services are used in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

The Minister for Health is working to ensure that protection is afforded to the Disability Sector and to the Social Care area as a whole. In 2013, the Health Service Executive is seeking to maximise the provision of services within available resources and to maintaining a consistent level to that provided in 2012, which includes the provision of 1.68 million hours of Personal Assistant / Home Support.