Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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955. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced in the Dublin south west area due to inadequate availability of respite care spaces for children; and the number of persons waiting to access these vital services. [41377/16]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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956. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced in the Dublin south west area due to inadequate availability of respite care spaces for adults; and the number of persons waiting to access these vital services. [41378/16]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 955 and 956 together.

The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. This commitment is outlined in the Programme for Partnership Government, which is guided by two principles: equality of opportunity and improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.

The Programme for Partnership Government states that the Government wishes to provide more accessible respite care to facilitate full support for people with a disability.

Budget 2017 includes an increased allocation to the Disability Services Programme to address a number of key priorities in the Programme for Partnership Government. The allocation for disability services will rise to over €1.654bn in 2017, an increase of €92 million on the Budget 2016 allocation.

As the Deputy's questions relate to service matters, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the HSE for direct reply to the Deputy.