David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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663. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a breakdown of the €100 million for disability services announced in budget 2021; the specific measures costed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31411/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In the Programme for Government, we made extensive commitments to improve the lives of people with disabilities and in doing so, we signalled to those with a disability that we are serious about making a difference. In the first budget of this government, I’m pleased that we have secured significant additional funding to start delivering on those commitments.

We will be investing an additional €100 million in new initiatives in 2021, bringing the total disabilities budget to around €2.2 billion. The increased level of funding in 2021 will build on initiatives currently underway, as well as introducing new ones.

I will be targeting the new funding at five key areas: children’s services, day services, community supports, residential services, and integration. In addition to the investment outlined in Budget 2021,  €20 million is being made available on a once off basis in the current year to support voluntary disability service providers engaged in the Transforming Lives Reform programme. Criteria for disbursement of this funding will be available in due course

I will now ask the HSE, in preparing its National Service Plan, to examine how these key priorities can be progressed in 2021 within the overall increased envelope of funding for disability services

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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664. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated amount of additional funding that will be allocated to the resumption of day services for persons with a disability as a result of budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31412/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In the Programme for Government, we made extensive commitments to improve the lives of people with disabilities and in doing so, we signalled to those with a disability that we are serious about making a difference. In the first budget of this government, I am pleased that we have secured significant additional funding to start delivering on those commitments.

We will be investing an additional €100 million in new initiatives in 2021, bringing the total disabilities budget to around €2.2 billion. The increased level of funding in 2021 will build on initiatives currently underway, as well as introducing new ones.

I will be targeting the new funding at five key areas: children’s services, day services, community supports, residential services, and integration. In addition to the investment outlined in Budget 2021, €20 million is being made available on a once off basis in the current year to support voluntary disability service providers engaged in the Transforming Lives Reform programme. Criteria for disbursement of this funding will be available in due course

I will now ask the HSE, in preparing its National Service Plan, to examine how these key priorities can be progressed in 2021 within the overall increased envelope of funding for disability services

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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665. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated amount of additional funding that will be made available for progressing disability services and promoting disability integration as a result of budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31413/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In the Programme for Government, we made extensive commitments to improve the lives of people with disabilities and in doing so, we signalled to those with a disability that we are serious about making a difference. In the first budget of this government, I am pleased that we have secured significant additional funding to start delivering on those commitments.

We will be investing an additional €100 million in new initiatives in 2021, bringing the total disabilities budget to around €2.2 billion. The increased level of funding in 2021 will build on initiatives currently underway, as well as introducing new ones.

I will be targeting the new funding at five key areas: children’s services, day services, community supports, residential services, and integration. In addition to the investment outlined in Budget 2021, €20 million is being made available on a once off basis in the current year to support voluntary disability service providers engaged in the Transforming Lives Reform programme. Criteria for disbursement of this funding will be available in due course

I will now ask the HSE, in preparing its National Service Plan, to examine how these key priorities can be progressed in 2021 within the overall increased envelope of funding for disability services

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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666. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated amount of additional funding that will be made available for respite services under disability services as a result of Budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31414/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In the Programme for Government, we made extensive commitments to improve the lives of people with disabilities and in doing so, we signalled to those with a disability that we are serious about making a difference. In the first budget of this government, I am pleased that we have secured significant additional funding to start delivering on those commitments.

We will be investing an additional €100 million in new initiatives in 2021, bringing the total disabilities budget to around €2.2 billion. The increased level of funding in 2021 will build on initiatives currently underway, as well as introducing new ones.

I will be targeting the new funding at five key areas: children’s services, day services, community supports, residential services, and integration. In addition to the investment outlined in Budget 2021, €20 million is being made available on a once off basis in the current year to support voluntary disability service providers engaged in the Transforming Lives Reform programme. Criteria for disbursement of this funding will be available in due course

I will now ask the HSE, in preparing its National Service Plan, to examine how these key priorities can be progressed in 2021 within the overall increased envelope of funding for disability services.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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667. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated amount of additional funding that will be made available for support residential services under disability services as a result of budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31415/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In the Programme for Government, we made extensive commitments to improve the lives of people with disabilities and in doing so, we signalled to those with a disability that we are serious about making a difference. In the first budget of this government, I am pleased that we have secured significant additional funding to start delivering on those commitments.

We will be investing an additional €100 million in new initiatives in 2021, bringing the total disabilities budget to around €2.2 billion. The increased level of funding in 2021 will build on initiatives currently underway, as well as introducing new ones.

I will be targeting the new funding at five key areas: children’s services, day services, community supports, residential services, and integration. In addition to the investment outlined in Budget 2021, €20 million is being made available on a once off basis in the current year to support voluntary disability service providers engaged in the Transforming Lives Reform programme. Criteria for disbursement of this funding will be available in due course

I will now ask the HSE, in preparing its National Service Plan, to examine how these key priorities can be progressed in 2021 within the overall increased envelope of funding for disability services

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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668. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated amount of additional personal assistant hours that will be made available under disability services as a result of budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31416/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The area of disability services is a priority area for this Government. To support people with a disability, significant resources have been invested by the health sector in disability services, and the Government has ensured that an additional €100 million is being provided for new disability measures next year under Budget 2021. These measures will include an additional 80,000 personal assistant hours. The 2020 national service plan details that the HSE is seeking to deliver 1.67 million hours of Personal Assistant Hours to over 2,550 people.

The Government is working to ensure that People with Disabilities be allowed to live an independent life of their own choosing, the same as any other person, and this is consistent with the disability reform policy - “transforming lives”.

The HSE provides a range of assisted living services including Personal Assistant (PA) services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.

Personal Assistance Services are accessed through an application process or through referrals from public health nurses or other community based staff. Individual’s needs are evaluated against the criteria for prioritisation for the particular services and then decisions are made in relation to the allocation of resources.

Resource allocation is determined by the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available. It is important to note that the level of service delivered is varied to ensure that each client’s needs are reflected. Therefore there is no average agreed number of PA hours per person.

PA and Home Support Services are provided either directly by the HSE or through a range of voluntary service providers. The majority of specialised disability provision (80%) is delivered through non-statutory sector service providers.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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669. To ask the Minister for Health the estimated amount of additional funding that will be made available to progress de-congregation and assist persons with disabilities who are inappropriately living in nursing home settings to move to more suitable accommodation as announced in budget 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31417/20]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Almost nine years ago, the Time to Move on from Congregated Settings Report identified approximately 4,000 people with disabilities living in congregated type settings. Many were old style institutions, with ten or more people. Some living in hospital ward or dormitory settings.

It’s also important to note that Article 19(a) of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified in 2018 by the Irish Government, states that people with disabilities should be able to choose where, and with whom, they live.

Time to move on is the governing strategy that seeks to ensure housing arrangements, including those moving from congregated settings, should be in ordinary neighbourhoods (dispersed housing) in the community, with individualised supports (supported living) designed to meet their individual needs and wishes.

It is about enabling people to “live ordinary lives in ordinary places”. At the end of 2019, there were circa 2,000 people remaining in congregated settings, while the majority 6,400 live in group homes in the community. 52 people have completed their transition so far this year, however It is likely that the impact of COVID-19 will be reflected in the year-end total.

Today, people are being supported to live lives of their choice out in the community. Several congregated settings have closed fully and many more have closed specific units within the centres.

Thoughtful planning, capacity building work with stakeholders and sharing the learning across services is enabling meaningful person-centred planning and transitions that are sustainable.

As the numbers in the large settings continues to fall, the people still remaining in these services have access to better living conditions and share with fewer people

While the pace of change has been slow in some services, there is momentum and progress is being made.

The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future’, commits to continue with the successful decongregation programme and complete a further move of more people with disabilities from congregated settings to homes in the community, with the necessary supports. It is only fair and right for the remaining residents that people achieve independent and community living.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.