Written answers
Wednesday, 9 April 2025
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Disability Services
Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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228. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if persons with disabilities are charged for the use of day services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17757/25]
Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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HSE-funded day programmes for people with intellectual disabilities, autism, or complex physical disabilities include a range of centre-based and community-based activities. Access to services is based on an individual’s needs rather than on their diagnosis. The focus is on supporting people to participate in the mainstream activities and in the life of their community, in line with their wishes and needs.
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.
Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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229. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are transport charges for persons with disabilities using day services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17758/25]
Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE provides specialist disability services, including Day Services and Rehabilitative Training, to people with disabilities who require such services, and people with intellectual disabilities would form the majority of service users who are supported by these services. While day service funding does not include transport, some transport supports are provided by the HSE or funded agencies on a discretionary basis, and a variety of transport solutions are pursued in different areas. These include travel training to enable public transport to be used, where appropriate, local transport such as Local Link, private bus transport and taxis, and some service providers provide transport where capacity exists.
In general, day service users are in receipt of disability allowance and are automatically entitled to the Free Travel Pass.
The HSE have been working with the National Transport Authority on this issue of transport to day services, through the ‘Open Routes’ project. Open Routes is based on the idea that transport to HSE services such as day services would be best served by accessible local public transport such as the Local Link, transporting people to their day services, but also serving the wider local community as well with enhanced public transport provision.
The approach is being piloted in Leitrim. The NTA advise that the Integrated Pilot Project was developed in close collaboration with the HSE, with a revised network that is designed to meet the needs of mainstream public transport users as well as the transport needs of passengers with disabilities and those accessing health care services in the county.
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.
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