Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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320. To ask the Minister for Health the number of hours of respite care offered to families of children with disabilities in the first 11 months of 2017 as compared to the first 11 months of 2016, by CHO and LHO. [52925/17]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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321. To ask the Minister for Health the number of hours of respite care offered to families of adults with disabilities in the first 11 months of 2017 as compared to the first 11 months of 2016, by CHO and LHO. [52926/17]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 321 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.

I am very much aware of the importance of access to planned respite, which ensures that people with disabilities receive opportunities to socialise and separately, facilitates families to receive a break from caring. Respite services may vary, according to the assessed needs of the individuals and their carer. The model of respite is changing and although some still require overnight respite, others prefer and benefit from day respite. The number of respite nights has been reducing as persons with disabilities are seeking alternative models, such as day respite or extended day.

The most recent available data from the HSE indicates that for 2016, 175,555 overnight respite sessions and 43,143 day sessions were accessed. It is planned that 161,262 overnight respite sessions will be accessed in 2017. The number of day respite sessions planned is 42,552.

In addition, the HSE will provide 128 new emergency residential placements and new home support and in-home respite for 75 additional people who require emergency supports.

In the HSE's Social Care Operational Plan for 2017, 5,720 people with a Disability are expected to avail of centre-based respite services. Based on existing levels of service and in addition to the centre-based respite service, it is planned that between 2,000 and 2,500 persons will avail of respite services such as holiday respite or occasional respite with a host family.

The HSE continues to work with agencies to explore various ways of responding to this need in line with the budget available

As the level of data requested by the Deputy is not currently available, I have arranged for the questions to be referred to the Health Service Executive (HSE) for the inclusion of this data in the reply to the Deputy.