Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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188. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons with disabilities that remain in inappropriate institutions; if the matter will be addressed in the context of Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and in the context of the recent ESRI and Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission report Discrimination and Inequality in Housing in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28168/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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As the deputy will be aware, Ireland recently ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which came into force for Ireland on 19 April this year.

The Convention, in Article 19, calls upon State parties to recognise the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full inclusion and participation in the community.  Accordingly, ‘Living in the Community’ has been designated as one of eight themes within the National Disability Inclusion Strategy launched in 2017, which is co ordinated by the Department of Justice and Equality.

The strategy commits the Government to supporting people with disabilities to live a fulfilled life and enabling them to participate fully in the activities of their communities through a range of measures.  Such measures include full implementation of the Transforming Lives Programme; a strengthened focus on culture change from the ‘care’ to ‘support’ model; and the development of actions at community level to build and sustain for disability.’ 

The report by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, referred to by the Deputy, examines several different aspects of discrimination and inequality relating to housing, accessing housing and housing quality and is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.  However, in the context of decongregation, and the process of moving people from institutions into modern independent community living, there is regular and continued engagement between officials from the Department of Health, the HSE and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

This 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 .

The HSE Disability Service Plan is providing for 8,399 residential places this year. The process of moving people with a disability from congregated settings into the community, to live more independent lives, is progressing. At the beginning of 2018 there were 2,370 residents remaining in a congregated setting, down from over 4,000 when this process began. In 2017, 144 people moved into the community, while there has been steady progress in the first quarter of 2018. Current projections are that 170 will complete their move to the community this year.