William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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241. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will address the lack of access to essential services for children in Laois diagnosed with special needs, specifically children recommended for psychology, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy in their assessment of need, who are unable to access these services due to long waiting times, lack of service provision, and staffing shortages; the measures that will be taken to provide timely intervention for these children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8396/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive HS(E) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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242. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a breakdown of the funding allocated to disability from 2020 to 2025, with the sub-category allocated to the following (details supplied). [8414/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Over €15.2bn has been allocated to specialist disability services, via the HSE between 2020 and 2025. Most recently, a total of €3.2bn was allocated by my Department for disability services in budget 2025. This amounts to an 11.5% increase in funding on last year and represents an overall increase of €1.2bn since 2020. The following table provides a breakdown of funding to HSE Disability Services from 2020 to 2025.

The annual allocation to the HSE for specialist disability services is largely allocated to voluntary organisations by way of global grant agreement for the provision of a range of services. While the HSE systems do not allow for a precise breakdown of the budget by service area, the following provides an approximate percentage breakdown. Residential services comprise the largest element of the disability budget, receiving nearly 60% of the total funding provided to the HSE on a yearly basis.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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243. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to examine the extreme urgency of pay issues raised by disability workers, whereby Section 39 workers are outsourced by the Government for healthcare services, and their rate of pay is significantly different to than that of their HSE counterparts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8415/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Community and voluntary health and social care workers are the backbone of many essential services, and the State depends on them to deliver essential support to people across the country every day.

All staff in these sectors should be fairly paid and appropriately recognised for the difficult work they do.

The Government is fully committed to directly engaging with the voluntary sector and using industrial relations mechanisms where appropriate to tackle pay issues that threaten disability services. All parties have now agreed to return to facilitated talks at the WRC on the 3rd of March, and I remain optimistic that a deal can and will be agreed.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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244. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the funding for the pay agreement that was made in October 2023 in respect of staff in section 39 and section 56 organisations has been fully passed on to all relevant staff of Tusla-funded section 56 organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8432/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you Deputy for your question. As you are aware, the challenges facing organisations that provide services on behalf of Tusla under section 56 is of significant concern.

Tusla was tasked with ensuring that the additional funding required to implement the WRC agreement was available to all eligible organisations and ensuring the appropriate accountability for the related expenditure.

To date Tusla has processed claims for 282 organisations that provide services on behalf of Tusla under section 56. There are several organisations with claims that have yet to be validated as outstanding documentation has not yet been received by Tusla.

As these organisations that provide services on behalf of Tusla under section 56 are separate legal entities and they are the employers, it is the organisations themselves that are responsible for processing the WRC funding to any relevant staff within their organisations. In addition, it is the responsibility of those organisations to engage with Tusla on the process.

To date 75 organisations did not meet the criteria due for various reasons such as no payroll costs associated with the contract.

Tusla began to disburse funding in early December 2023. This ensured funding was available for involved organisations to begin to address their relevant employees pay concerns.

€3.46m was disbursed in 2023 to satisfy the conditions of the agreement and a further €8.3m in 2024.

In 2025, Tusla is continuing to review financial returns from organisations and to work with those organisations to ensure that all relevant staff in relevant organisations can access funding for which they are eligible. This is also helping to further refine the levels of funding required to meet the original agreement and to cost any future agreements.

Appropriate administrative arrangements have been developed by Tusla. These arrangements enable Tusla to engage with employer bodies on the drawdown of funds. Returns from NGOs require additional work on the part of Tusla to validate.

It should be noted, the employees of these organisations do not have an employment relationship with the HSE, Tusla or the Departments. These organisations are privately owned and run. Their terms and conditions of employment, once in line with employment legislation, are strictly between the employers and their employees.

As part of the agreement Departments committed to further talks and continue to engage with Unions on this important matter.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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245. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of people on a waiting list for home support services provided by HSE disability services, by age, CHO and LHO, in tabular form. [8438/25]

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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246. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current hourly direct cost and indirect cost of home support services for people living with a disability; and the total cost of direct and indirect delivery of this type of home care in each of the years from 2020 to 2024. [8439/25]

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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247. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage split of home support services for people living with a disability between direct and indirect delivery. [8440/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 245 to 247, inclusive, together.

As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.