Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In 2015, the HSE has sought to maximise the provision of health and personal social services, including personal assistant services, for people with a disability, within available resources. In the 2015 HSE National Service Plan, the HSE's priority is to provide 1.3 million hours of personal assistant services to adults with a physical or sensory disability.

The HSE funds a range of assisted living services, including personal assistant services, to support individuals to live full and independent lives. The personal assistant works on a one-to-one basis with the person with a disability both in the home and in the community. A vital element of this personalised support is the full involvement of the individual service user in planning and agreeing the type of support and the time that support is required. Assisted living services are provided either directly by the HSE or in partnership with a range of voluntary service providers, such as the Irish Wheelchair Association.

Any increases in demand for personal assistant services due to demographic pressures and changing needs must be met within the level of resources available. Work is currently underway in preparing the Health Service Executive's National Service Plan for 2016. As discussions are ongoing in this regard, the Minister for Health is not in a position to comment on the service levels including personal assistant hours in 2016.