Disability Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-16
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

I am very grateful to the Deputy for raising these individual cases and making very relevant points on which there is no disagreement. The majority of families and individuals are catered for but unfortunately, there are far too many who are falling through the gaps and are not getting that discussion or peace of mind at an early enough stage. That is something the Government and the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, are absolutely committed to working through. That is why we see that 20% increase in the disability budget that will be allocated for this year to the order of €3.9 billion. Included in that is €150 million to fund service expansion in residential and respite services.
Beyond the individual care, and the Deputy has given very real examples, the real world examples can only be fed into what is required. As I stated, the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is more than happy to work with the Deputy, the HSE and other partners, or any Deputy, to see where those outstanding issues could be solved. However, the Deputy has called rightly for an increased level of investment. That is why, with the five-year horizon out to 2030, the national development plan provides for an investment of €278 million, particularly in specialist disability services. Capital funding will also enable the refurbishment and development of modern respite centres and day service hubs. This focus will be through both the HSE and section 38 and 39 providers. We very much hope this offers a real opportunity for substantial growth in services and makes sure that fewer, and in due course hopefully no families, find themselves in the situation of the two families the Deputy has mentioned in County Kerry.
In conclusion, the Minister is of course happy to continue working with the Deputy on an individual basis. She also wanted to express her real thanks to the Deputy for raising this issue on the floor of the Chamber.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-16