Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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1168. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will address concerns regarding disability services (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29325/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My Department welcomes engagement from all stakeholders in relation to specialist disability services. A critical part of this engagement is through the annual Estimates process which provides an important opportunity for organisations to outline their proposals through their pre-budget submissions. In addition, stakeholders had an opportunity through the recent Pre-Budget Disability Stakeholder Forum to discuss budgetary priorities and make suggestions regarding the use of the resources that might become available through the Estimates process.

It would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage prior to the conclusion of the Estimates process. However, all pre-budget submissions received by my Department along with feedback from the Pre-Budget Stakeholder Forum will be considered by the Department as part of this Estimates process.

The Programme for Government sets out a wide range of commitments in the area of disability which fall under the remit of several government departments. It is important to note that my Department has responsibility for specialist disability services and for disability equality policy, submissions in relation to social welfare payments, transport schemes, housing adaptation grants and sport, should be directed to the relevant department for consideration.

Cost of Disability Allowances and funding are typically managed and administered by the Department of Social Protection, this also being the same for Winter Fuel Allowance.

The use of transport schemes, allowances and funding lies with the Department of Transport.

Similarly, the Housing Adaption Grant Scheme is the responsibility of local authorities governed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Also, any organisational funding for sport would be likely under the purview of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.

With regards to the elements raised that are relevant to my Department, these are addressed below:

Personalised Budgets - The Personalised Budget Demonstrator Pilot was established to test the delivery of personalised budgets in an Irish context with a view to identifying the best approach for a wider roll-out of the model.

Led by the National Disability Authority, the evaluation of the Pilot has recently commenced and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The outcome of that evaluation will inform next steps towards the development of an effective model of personalised budgets in Ireland.

Personal Assistance (PA) - This is a service primarily for adults with physical disabilities that enables them to live their lives as independently as possible and to take decision making control. Typically, the person with the disability either directly employs their personal assistant or is involved in the process of recruiting a personal assistant to work with them. The person with the disability determines the support they need and the activities they need support with.

While there is currently no centrally maintained waiting list for PA services, each HSE Health Region would be aware of the need and requirements in its respective area and would work with the local service providers with a view to responding to the level of presenting needs within the resources available.

To support the fulfilment of that commitment, over €2m in funding was provided in 2024 for 80,000 additional PA hours with approximately 1.85m hours delivered to over 2,700 disabled persons in total last year. A further €3m was provided in Budget 2025 to deliver 95,000 additional hours with 1.945m PA hours to be delivered to over 2,800 disabled persons by year end per the HSE’s National Service Plan 2025.

The Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026, which was published in December 2023, represents a national strategy for capacity increases and service and policy reform in disability services. It was informed primarily by findings from the Disability Capacity Review, published in 2021, as well as an extensive consultation process.

The Action Plan has been supported by funding of €74 million for New Development Measures in 2024 and €42 million for New Development Measures in 2025. These New Measures include circa 175,000 additional Personal Assistant hours.

The Department will continue to engage with the stakeholders and the HSE throughout 2025 to ensure funding and service provision is aligned with assessed needs and national policy priorities. The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to improving disability services and ensuring that people with disabilities and their families receive the necessary services.