Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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636. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to deliver the 90 new residential places needed every year from 2020 to 2032 to cater for changes in size and age structure of the disability population as set out in the Disability Capacity Review to 2032; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49787/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The government is committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families through enhancing the quality of services and supports they receive.

The Review of Disability Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements up to 2032 is an essential tool that documents the scale of current and future need for services and supports.

The Review provides a wealth of data and analyses of the supports and services that are needed and where we need to focus our resources. This will be a key building block for the government’s plans for the delivery of health services and supports into the future. A key finding of the review is that an average of 90 new residential places will be needed every year from 2020 to 2032 to cater for changes in the size and age structure of the disability population.

It is one of the many cross governmental plans needed to support people with a disability living their lives to the fullest and in the way they want to. It’s important we continue all the good work already underway to reframe our disability services around individuals’ hopes and needs, delivering genuinely person-centred services.

The Programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for the provision of disability services. In Budget 2021, the Government allocated over €2.2 billion for specialist disability services, including €100m in additional funding to enhance services and supports, reflecting the Government’s commitment in this area. An additional 102 new residential places are being provided for in 2021 based on priority need.

The provision of the additional residential places is one of many measures that Government supports for people with disabilities. The level of funding available for the Department of Health in 2022, and the quantum of services to be provided by the HSE, is being considered as part of the national budgetary process and HSE National Service Planning.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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637. To ask the Minister for Health the number of meetings he has had with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to discuss the provision of units for supported housing and residential care since he became Minister; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49788/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that I have not met with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to discuss the provision of units for supported housing and residential care since I became Minister for Health.