Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

851. To ask the Minister for Health if he will reverse the 1% cut to disability services for 2020. [14442/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has agreed to allocate substantial additional funding to the Health Vote to meet the costs associated with the implementation of the measures outlined in the National Action Plan in response to COVID-19.

Within this context, the HSE has put in place a structured governance process through which Section 39 bodies experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency can seek financial and non-financial supports, in order to ensure continuity of essential services. I am also advised that the HSE has given Section 38 and Section 39 providers of disability services and supports assurance that budget allocations confirmed to each provider via the relevant Community Healthcare organisation, will remain in place to year end, subject to co-operation with the HSE and compliance with the relevant Service Arrangements.

The HSE and all of the providers it funds are expected to continually review their cost structures to ensure the best use of resources and a focus on the use of these resources for client care to the greatest extent possible. The very significant additional financial resources provided to disability services over the last year, together with the achievement of relatively modest efficiency savings, form part of the financing of the increased service levels set out in the National Service Plan 2020.

It was intended that these efficiencies would be achieved in 2020 through the application of a 1% efficiency target to existing budgets across all service areas. However, the delivery of the 1% efficiency target in the disability sector is considered problematic given the significant pressures on the sector in the context of COVID-19.