Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Minister O’Gorman and I were pleased to announce, on July 26^th, that Government approved the Disability Action Plan 2024-2026.

The Action Plan represents a key step in the expansion and reform of specialist community-based disability services including day services, respite and residential services, personal assistance and home support, as well as multidisciplinary therapy interventions for children and adults. These services form core supports in the government’s ambition to help people with disabilities live ordinary lives in ordinary places, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

The Action Plan has been developed on foot of the Disability Capacity Review – A Review of Capacity Review to 2032 – A Review of Social Care Requirements and Capacity Demand to 2032. This review set out the extra capacity requirements for community disability services up to 2032, based on an analysis of demographic trends and unmet need. Following its publication, Government committed to working towards implementing its recommendations.

The Disability Action Plan 2024 – 2026 represents the first phase in this process of implementation. Its main focus is on service expansion for disability services and the key priorities in this regard are:

• increasing capacity of Children’s Disability Network Teams, in conjunction with the upcoming Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023 – 2025 in Children’s Disability Services
• increased personal assistance and home support hours
• efforts to accelerate the decongregation programme
• increasing capacity for planned residential placements
• expansion of respite provision

The Action Plan is now being prepared for publication, including in accessible formats, and will be available in the autumn.