Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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336. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to address the issues of persons living with disability; his views on the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's estimates that living with a disability here can have extra costs ranging from €207 to €276 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35801/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The Department of Health’s overall aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Ireland by: keeping people healthy; providing the healthcare people need; delivering high quality services; and getting best value from health system resources. The core aim of health policy is to improve the health and wellbeing of the people in Ireland including people with a disability. The Department of Health's remit covers the health and personal social care needs of people with a disability. Under the Disability Act 2005 and the National Disability Strategy the provision of income supports and other mainstream supports are the responsibility of a number of other Departments.

The Department of Health currently provides funding of approximately €1.5 billion to the Disability Services Programme through the Health Service Executive's National Service Plan. This funding currently provides specialist disability services such as:

-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 overnight stays for people with intellectual and physical disabilities;

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

-therapy service for children with a disability

Funding for specialist disability services in 2016 is included in the discussions on budgetary issues which are ongoing within the Department of Health, with the HSE and with the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform.