Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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807. To ask the Minister for Health if he has further information for a group (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17995/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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On November 3rd 2021, I met with the Kildare Branch of Down Syndrome Ireland to discuss a number of their programmes for adults with disabilities, including a programme called Latch On, and a horticultural training programme, and the funding of these programmes. My colleague the Minister of State with responsibility for Skills and Further Education also attended this meeting.

Day services for adults with a disability are developed in line with the New Directions policy. The ambitious change envisaged by New Directions is strongly linked to the implementation of the policy of mainstreaming that was a core part of the National Disability Strategy and is now a core part of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy.

The purpose of mainstreaming is to move from segregation to inclusion, by ensuring that persons with disabilities can take their place in mainstream society, that mainstream public services include people with disabilities and that mainstream public policies take into consideration their impact on people with disabilities. In terms of service provision, mainstreaming means that services for people with disabilities should be the responsibility of whichever Government department has responsibility for such services in general.

The New Directions approach to adult day services embodies the policy of mainstreaming, and supports service users to access mainstream public services such as further education and training, rather than this type of content being part of the day service itself.

Improved access to mainstream services is essential to let adults with disabilities participate fully as members of communities, and access to further education is key to enabling people to continue to learn throughout their lives.

The twelve supports outlined by New Directions include support to access a number of services that are the remit of several government departments and agencies, including the Department for Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), Solas, and the Education and Training Boards (ETBs).

I am continuing to engage with the HSE on this matter. I have also arranged for my officials to contact Minister Collins’ office at DFHERIS to send on all information Kildare Down Syndrome Ireland had provided to me at the meeting, for appropriate attention within his Department as DFHERIS’ ‘Adult Literacy for Life’ 10 year adult literacy strategy, as it may also be possible to progress programmes such as Latch On as part of this Strategy’s work.