Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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181. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to make personalised budgets available for persons with a disability as an alternative to an adult day service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48609/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I wish to draw the Deputy's attention to the report of the Task Force on Personalised Budgets, which I published on 17th July 2018. The report is available on the Department of Health website. The report sets out how personalised budgets could work as a funding mechanism for people with a disability, providing them with greater choice and control over the services and supports they receive, including day services. 

The Task Force, having reviewed the national and international research evidence and consulted with service users and their families, recommended that the Department of Health and the HSE should establish demonstration projects to test the delivery of personalised budgets with a view to identifying the best approach to the wider roll-out of these payment models following the initial demonstration phase.

The Department of Health, NDA and the HSE are in the process of designing demonstration projects, as recommended by the Task Force on Personalised Budgets. Selection criteria for inclusion in the demonstration projects have not yet been finalised. The Department’s website will be kept updated with information on the roll out if the demonstration projects as it becomes available.