Written answers

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Department of Health

Disability Support Services

Photo of Carol NolanCarol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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1294. To ask the Minister for Health if additional support will be provided for specialist training providers for persons with disabilities such as National Learning Network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32977/20]

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne 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. 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

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. Further information, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, can be found here: .

Photo of Carol NolanCarol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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1295. To ask the Minister for Health if a commitment will be given to fully implementing the report on the role of voluntary organisations in the provision of public disability services and to providing sufficient funding to address pay inequality among section-39 workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32979/20]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Report of the Independent Review Group established to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health and social services, published in February 2019, highlighted the important contribution that voluntary organisations have made and continue to make in the delivery of health and social care services across the country.

The key finding in the Report is the need to strengthen the relationship between the State and the voluntary sector. To this end, a Dialogue Forum with Voluntary Organisations was established in December 2019 as recommended in the Report as a key mechanism for strengthening this relationship. The aim of the Forum is to build a stronger working relationship between the State and the voluntary healthcare sector for the benefit of patients and service users. The Forum will also facilitate regular dialogue with the voluntary sector on Sláintecare and other policy initiatives and will consider issues around governance more generally.

The Forum is independently chaired by Peter Cassells. Members of the Forum include the Department, the HSE, HIQA, the Mental Health Commission and the main representative bodies of voluntary providers of health and social care: The Wheel; Mental Health Reform; Disability Federation of Ireland; Not for Profit Association; National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers; Voluntary Healthcare Forum; Voluntary Hospices Group and National Community Care Network.

The Forum met twice in December and January, but further meetings scheduled for March 2020 and May 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chair recently convened a sub-group of the Forum to act as a planning group to assist him in planning and, where appropriate, progressing the work of the Forum over the next three to four months. The Planning Group met online for the first time on 29 September 2020 and the Group will meet again in November and December. It is planned to recommence full Forum meetings in early 2021.

More generally, many of the Independent Review Group Report’s recommendations dovetail with the Sláintecare programme and are being considered in that context. In addition, some recommendations are being taken forward in the context of the Department of Rural and Community Development’s ‘Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland 2019-2024’.

With regard to Section 39 organisation pay restoration, a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement reached in October 2018 provided for pay restoration in relation to 50 pilot organisations in the first instance. Pay restoration for these bodies commenced in April 2019 with further payments due in October 2020 and October 2021 as appropriate. The agreement recognised that some of the remaining Section 39 organisations were also likely to have pay restoration issues and a process to address these issues commenced in 2019 under the auspices of the WRC. Despite the engagement which took place, it has not yet been possible to reach agreement. This is because management cannot provide a timeframe or a commitment to fund this part of the process.

The HSE are currently costing this next phase of pay restoration and are expected to complete the exercise in the coming weeks. Engagement will take place with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform once the HSE has completed this work. Health sector management remain committed to the process.

Photo of Carol NolanCarol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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1296. To ask the Minister for Health the reason there is only one dedicated nurse, focused on those aged 0 to 18 years that specialises in Down syndrome; if he will provide investment for a dedicated specialist nurse in each of the nine CHO areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32980/20]

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way.

The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are provided for each child, to guarantee the best outcomes.

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

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