Health Service Executive
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-18
============================================================

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny

I fully appreciate the upset that the HSE correspondence has caused the Senator. My understanding is that the HSE is engaging with the family and putting in place the appropriate supports. I will certainly go back to the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, on this and get the Senator the answer. The Senator needs to get the appropriate clarification on the services and the care. I can only go on the response I have been given today.
In an effort to address the demand for disability services, budget 2026 allocated approximately €3.9 billion for specialist disability services, an increase of 20% compared with 2025. Specialist disability residential services make up the largest part of the disability services paid for by the HSE, representing almost 60% of the total budget. In addition, €65 million has been allocated to disability residential services. Approximately €25 million of this funding will go towards expanding increased respite services, which are very important. Families also need respite; I do understand that.
The HSE 2026 national service plan outlines an expected 10,000 additional respite beds nationally, including high-support placements and 25,000 additional respite sessions for adults and children, including after-school, weekend and holiday programmes. The Government also recognises the voice of those with disabilities and the importance of listening to their wishes for their futures. I will come back to the Senator. I understand his concerns. I am going on the basis of the brief I was provided with today. I am not aware of that case but I am glad that the HSE is working with the family and will continue to do so. I will get the Senator the information he wants and I again thank him. These are really serious issues that we need to highlight and work to resolve.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18