Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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350. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the pre-budget 2026 submission of an organisation (details supplied); if she will engage with this organisation in advance of budgetary negotiations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36744/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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351. To ask the Minister for Health her views on whether existing support networks for families of people with Alzheimer’s disease are sufficient; the actions she will take to improve these facilities as much as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36745/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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352. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to shortfalls in the services available both to people with Alzheimer’s disease but also to their support networks, as outlined in the pre-budget 2026 submission of an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36746/25]

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 350 to 352, inclusive, together.

Since becoming Minister of State with responsibility for Older People, I have been working to support people with dementia and their families and will continue to prioritise their needs and build on the existing provisions and already substantial investment in dementia over the next five years to ensure that all people affected by dementia, get the supports they need.

€19 million in new funding for dementia has been allocated over the past five budgets to implement the National Dementia Strategy and the Dementia Model of Care. This includes the establishment of Memory Assessment and Support Services, new and expanded Regional Specialist Memory Clinics and a National Intellectual Disability Memory Service to improve access to dementia diagnostic and post-diagnostic support services. Other post-diagnostic support services include the national Dementia Adviser service and the national network of Memory Technology Resource Rooms.

Since 2021, the Government has also prioritised the improvement of community-based services for people with dementia. This includes investment in dementia day care, day care at home and activity clubs for young onset dementia. The Government has allocated over €2.2 million in funding to day care centres operated by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI), and there are 58 centres currently in operation. In addition, nearly €2.6 million has been allocated for the provision of dementia day care at home. Day care at home was first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic for people who for a variety of reasons cannot attend a day care centre.

Furthermore, the Government recognises family carers as key enablers for Government policy to support people to live with dignity and independence in homes and communities of their choosing for as long as possible by providing vital care to some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Family carers of people with dementia may also avail of general family carer supports funded by the Department of Health. The 2025 Programme for Government includes eight dementia-specific commitments and a commitment to “fully fund the Carer’s Guarantee,” which will provide a core basket of services to carers across the country regardless of where they live.

Since Budget 2021, recurring funding of €2m has been allocated towards the Carer’s Guarantee, to provide a core basket of services to carers across the country, regardless of where they live. €0.6m in additional funding was provided in Budget 2025, bringing total annual funding for the Scheme to €2.6m.

This funding helps to provide a more standard package of supports to family carers in every region, in tandem with the community and voluntary sector. In 2025, €2.44 million of this funding is provided to Family Carers Ireland (FCI) to deliver a mix of community and individual supports across five areas of activity: community carer supports; intensive and emergency supports; education and training; FCI’s freephone careline; and psychosocial supports. The remaining €160,000 is supporting the development and delivery of online supports for over 8,000 family carers through Care Alliance Ireland by means of an online support group.

My department will fully consider the requests set out by all stakeholders, in relation to further expanding and progressing dementia services to support people with dementia and their families, as part of the 2026 Estimates process, in order to ensure that they can live as well and as independently as possible.