Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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400. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that charges will no longer be imposed by the HSE on persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28811/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE has no statutory responsibility for providing transport to Day Services, and transport to day services is not usually provided for service users. A variety of transport solutions are pursued nationally, including service provider transport, and I do acknowledge that transport to day services can be a significant issue for some service users.

In CHO1 however, as this is a particularly rural area with limited public transport options, and many service users require assistance to access their disability services, the HSE has developed a transport service in conjunction with Local Link and SITT, an Seirbhís Iompair Tuaithe Teoranta, the Rural Transport Service Ltd. in Co. Donegal.

There is a shared commitment in CHO 1 to provide a quality driven and person-centred health care service, within allocated resources, that meets the needs of service users as close to home as possible. There is also a history of partnership, working with local community and voluntary agencies, local authorities and the educational sector, all with a shared commitment to improve the health of the population living in those counties.

A process was initiated in Donegal in 2008 to create a partnership with Local Rural Transport Companies around transporting people to HSE services, and following a successful pilot this was rolled out on a phased basis to the rest of the county between 2009 and 2012, and there is now a transport service in place across all five counties within CHO1.

Service users from a number of HSE services avail of this dedicated transport service, including Older Persons, Disability and Mental Health services.

The HSE cover the cost of 90% of this service, and day service passengers in all areas of CHO1 have been asked to pay €4 return on these HSE transport routes as a contribution to the overall transport costs incurred. Passenger fares commenced in 2008 in Donegal, 2012 in Sligo and Leitrim and 2019 in Cavan and Monaghan.

Some service users in these counties are able to use public Local Link services to reach their day service, and they can use their Free Travel pass on these. However, these routes do not always meet the needs of service users in terms of routes available or supports needed, and so there remains a need for the closed, HSE funded, transport routes where the €4 return daily contribution charge is collected.

Passengers receive a high-quality, door to door service, provided by Garda vetted drivers and bus assistants, with the shortest possible journey times incurred. This dedicated transport service is safe and fully accessible and focused on the needs of those people with disabilities who use it every day.

This transport service is crucial in getting people to their day services and other HSE services, services which so many missed attending during the worst periods of the pandemic.

Given the increasing costs of providing transport, and to enable the continued delivery of this essential service, the continuation of the €4 charge is necessary to keep the service running. At a national level, the government is seeking to improve access to public transport, particularly in rural areas and for those with disabilities, and much work is underway to ensure that in the coming years more people will be able to avail of public transport services where they can use their Free Travel Pass.

There is no standard approach to transport throughout the disability services sector, some providers do not provide transport while others provide transport to some service users and not to others, due to the historical nature of many of the arrangements. In CHO1, this transport service is provided with the associated charge to service users, and I acknowledge that the varying approaches across CHOs have led to inequalities for service users. I will be engaging with the HSE on the matter. 

At the start of this year I reconvened the Transport Working Group under the National Disability Inclusion Strategy, which is leading a review of transport supports encompassing all Government funded transport and mobility schemes for people with disabilities.

The government acknowledges that there are transport challenges for people with disabilities and it is determined to work towards addressing these challenges and to break down barriers to independent living and equal participation in society. That is my clear focus as Minister of State for Disabilities and it is the core objective of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy.

The government is committed to making progress on this issue and to developing the right solutions for people with disabilities.

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