Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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44. To ask the Minister for Health the funding being provided for disability services in 2014; the progress made to date in relation to the provision of services for school leavers in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6698/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Government is providing funding of €1.4 billion to the Disability Services Programme in 2014, including an additional €14m to address the priority needs identified by the Minister for Health and advised to the Health Service Executive (HSE). The additional funding includes €7m for the provision of new places for school-leavers and rehabilitative (life-skills) training graduates.

The HSE, through its Occupational Guidance Service, is working with schools, service providers, young people and their families to identify training needs and explore suitable options for school-leavers graduating in 2014. Many young people with disabilities will progress to further education or vocational training funded by the Department of Education and Skills. For those young people who will require ongoing HSE-funded supports, the HSE has established a National Oversight Group to coordinate a timely response to processing applications for day services and rehabilitative training places. As a result, new arrangements have been put in place for a centralised regional application process.

The HSE have informed me that they are liaising with disability agencies and the National Council for Special Education to supply the necessary information to parents and students on the new application process. The deadline for applications was the 1st of February, however some flexibility will be given since the application process is in its first year. The next stage in the process will be to identify and agree the supports required for each individual, identify the service providers who have the capacity to respond to those support needs, and agree the allocation of additional resources to support individual placements. A communications process with all stakeholders will be put in place by the end of March, and young people and their parents will be advised of the placement which will be available to them by the end of June 2014.