Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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360. To ask the Minister for Health his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding of services for persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19628/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Government is committed to protecting frontline health and personal social services needs for people with disabilities. The Government currently provides funding of approximately €1.5 billion to the Disability Services Programme through the Health Service Executive's National Service Plan for 2015.

The HSE works with voluntary disability service providers to ensure that available resources are used in order to be responsive to the health and personal social services needs of people with a disability.

In 2015, the HSE is seeking to maximise the provision of services within available resources and to maintaining a consistent level to that provided in 2014, by providing the following specialist disability services:

- residential services to around 9,000 people with a disability;

- day services to over 22,000 people with intellectual and physical disabilities;

- respite residential support of 190,000 overnights for people with intellectual and physical disabilities;

- 3.9 million hours of Personal Assistant / Home Support Hours.

Additional funding of €6 million has been allocated in the HSE National Service Plan in 2015 to provide day places for an estimated 1,400 young people finishing school and rehabilitative (life-skills) training. €4m in additional funding has also been allocated in the Plan to deliver an increase in the services for children with disabilities and reduce waiting lists under the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (0-18s) Programme.

As there are other issues raised in the details supplied in the Deputy's question that do not come within my remit, it is not appropriate for me to comment on these.