Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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97. To ask the Minister for Health the way he will ensure that the quality of life of persons with disabilities is enhanced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22590/13]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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123. To ask the Minister for Health his proposals to ensure that the quality of life of persons with disabilities is enhanced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22614/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 123 together.

The Government's policy on disability services is based on a mainstreaming approach to the provision of services and supports, whereby people with disabilities have access to the same services as the general population, and in addition receive appropriate supports and interventions to address individual needs. This is embodied in the National Disability Strategy,which is the Government's overarching policy on the most effective combination of legislation, policies, institutional arrangements and services to support and reinforce equal participation for all people with disabilities.

The National Disability Strategy Implementation Group, which I am chairing, is in the process of drawing up an Implementation Plan specifying actions across a number of departments, including the Department of Health. The National Disability Authority is at an advanced stage in the development of Disability Indicators which will allow real measurement of how the actions contained in the Plan translate into an enhanced quality of life for people with disabilities.

With regard to services and supports which are under the aegis of the Department of Health, the implementation of the recommendations set out in the Value for Money (VFM) and Policy Review of Disability Services in Ireland and the VFM National Implementation Framework will enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities in the following ways: people with disabilities and their families will have more choice and flexibility in the services they receive and will have more control over how they access these services; services and supports will be tailored to meet individual need and will support greater independence and social inclusion; the move to individualised budgeting will be underpinned by a standardised needs assessment to ensure fairness and transparency in the way in which funding is allocated; supports and services will be delivered with greater equity, transparency and accountability and will be more cost effective.

During 2013 the HSE will manage and direct migration towards a person-centred supports model through demonstration projects initiated by service providers as proof of concept, which will run in parallel with current services. Their suitability for wider application will then be evaluated. The implementation processes underway in respect of the Congregated Settings Report and the New Directions (Adult Day Services) Report also fit within the overarching VFM implementation framework and will significantly enhance the lives of people with disabilities.

A HSE-led National implementation Group is developing a national plan and change programme to progress the recommendations of the Congregated Settings Report and transfer the 3,600 people with disabilities who live in these settings into the community over the next 7 years. As part of this process €1m has been transferred from the Health Vote to the Housing Vote to provide for the social housing costs of up to 150 people leaving institutions in 2013.

The recommendations in New Directions, the Report of the National Working Group for the Review of HSE-funded Adult Day Services,is guiding the reconfiguration and modernization of HSE funded adult day services from a largely segregated group-delivered service to a personally chosen and socially inclusive model of supports. A National Implementation Working Group established by the HSE to oversee the implementation of the recommendations has developed a draft interim Quality Standards Framework for Day Services with a consultation process to commence in Quarter 3, 2013.

One of the key commitments in the Programme for Government in relation to children and adults with disabilities is to put the National Standards for Residential Services for People with Disabilities on a statutory footing and ensure that the services are inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). The standards outline what is expected of a provider of services and what a person with a disability, his or her family, and the public can expect to receive from residential care services. They seek to ensure that vulnerable people with disabilities in residential services are safeguarded and protected, and their quality of life is enhanced.

Each section of the National Standards outline the specific standards for adults and children which aim to enhance the potential of people living in residential services in addition to ensuring that their living space is of an appropriate standard. The Standards focus on outcomes which empower people with disabilities at the different stages of their lives to participate in, and contribute to, activities which help them realise their full potential. I am pleased to say that I formally launched these standards earlier today.

Work is also continuing in the Department of Health on both the Registration and Inspection and Care and Welfare regulations required to bring the standards into law. These are being developed taking into account the lessons learned from the introduction of similar regulations for nursing homes. HIQA's additional staffing requirements have been approved and discussions on the resources required to commence the regulatory regime are well advanced. It is expected that the proposed registration and inspection regime will commence in Quarter 3 this year.