Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

627. To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider allocating core funding for the Dyspraxia Association as part of the disability health budget. [54298/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government is fully committed, within existing resources, to ensuring the on-going delivery of vital services and supports to people with disabilities.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been provided with funding in the order of €1.4 billion this year to fund its 2013 disability services programme for children and adults with disabilities. This represents approximately 11.5% of overall health expenditure this year. The majority of this funding is distributed through non-statutory agencies who deliver over 80% of all disability services. There are in the region of 300 such agencies at present across the country that provide a significant and broad range of services for children and adults with disabilities in partnership with and on behalf of the HSE. It is important to note that many children and adults with a disability can be very effectively supported within mainstream child and adult health services.

The Dyspraxia Association is just one of a range of voluntary organisations around the country at present providing supports to specific diagnostic groups and which do not receive regular HSE funding. Funding of these types of organisation is a matter for the HSE in the first instance and will be considered in 2014 in light of the resources available and the relevant service priorities.