A capital funding proposal has been submitted to the national HSE office for a bespoke stand-alone respite service facility in Cavan-Monaghan for children up to the age of 18 with an intellectual disability and high-support medical and complex needs. It is important to say the capital plan has not been published yet but the application has been submitted. At the moment I cannot confirm it in the Chamber, but it is a priority. I have met families and public representatives. There is a dire need for respite for child…

Absolutely. Of course, we want to be that ambitious to ensure that every county would, at a very minimum, have a respite house for children, that is, a house in both Cavan and Monaghan. At this moment, however, the proposal that has been submitted by Edel Quinn is for a respite house for both countries that is operational full-time. That will add capacity. My understanding is that it is a five-bed house with separate doors. That separate door would ensure that a person with sensory needs can be supported to meet hi…

It is important to say that in budget 2024, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I secured for the first time ever the largest budget for respite, which was €15 million. In a full year, that is €25 million for respite alone. Therefore, we have a very ambitious plan in 2024. The alternative respite services, such as Little Wonders and Kilbixy Paddocks, provide alternatives on Saturdays and after-school services. We need to add capacity and support those providers. In fact, we need to be ambitious and encourage more pr…

The Government acknowledges challenges faced by children and young people with disabilities and their families accessing essential therapy services in Cavan and Monaghan. The staff vacancy rate for Cavan, which is an Enable Ireland team, is currently 58% with a total of 11.96 whole-time equivalent staff in situ. The staff vacancy rate for Monaghan HSE is at 39%, with a total of 17.81 whole-time equivalent staff in situ . Currently, there are 570 children on the caseload in the CDNT in Cavan and 662 in the CDNT in M…

The Deputy has hit a nerve with me on that particular case because it clearly indicates that the national access plan, NAP, which is the HSE's own policy, is not working. If the NAP was working, it would mean when the letter had come back, that child would be automatically added and the parent would not have to go back twice and for their child not to be on the list. NAP is where there are primary care, disability, and mental health services there is an integrated approach. It a communication tool between primary c…

It is important for me to recognise the staffing deficits in Cavan and Monaghan. Not only do I recognise it but so does the HSE. Hence, when the children's disability service grant is launched, I hope the Deputy will see an uplift in support for the families and the children. The recruitment is taking place as we speak. When I met the leads and the heads of the HSE only last Tuesday I asked when I should expect that staff would be in place. Staff should be in place mid-April, or the start of May at the latest. That…

The programme for Government contains a commitment to the autism innovation strategy and the development of a national autism strategy. This autism innovation strategy is currently at an advanced stage in response to this commitment. It is my intention that the strategy will be launched in the first half of this year. This is an important priority for me and for the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I am so ambitious I would like to have it done during autism awareness month. I would like to think we will have it done in …

I was also pleased to appoint an autism innovation strategy oversight and advisory group that has helped to reshape it. That is made primarily of people who are neurodivergent. I facilitate the gathering of the people but the people who are there are neurodivergent and are shaping the strategy. They are the ones who are setting out the various strands within it. I believe in the model of co-design but at this stage the co-design is of the neurodivergent persons as opposed to the officials within our Department. We …

Absolutely. The first part of the autism innovation strategy was to bring a whole-of-government approach to ensure that we created awareness in all Departments. Some of the time we would say that there was a lot of low-hanging fruit in a lot of the Departments but while working on some of that low-hanging fruit, we gather the data at the same time. It feeds into the national disability strategy as well so it is not in a silo. There is a whole mainstreaming-first approach but also feeding in and gathering the data s…

The Government is committed to the expansion of specialist services for people with disabilities. The Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026, which was published on 14 December, represents a national strategy for capacity increases and service and policy reform in disability services. It is important to say that it is the first time we will have policy funding and reform all under the one Department where we are putting equal rights for people at the centre. It was informed by findings from the disability ca…

I thank the Deputy, and it gives me the opportunity to set out here that we have put in place the workforce task force, which is really at a high level. It is not just our Department; it includes the Departments of Health, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and Social Protection, and it also includes jobs and recruitment. There is a wide span on it, and at all times we are looking at how we can increase capacity here and now, which is the assistant therapist course that the Minister, Dep…

Absolutely. That school leaver piece is very important to me and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. More than €18 million has been secured for it. Not only that but we are also looking at when the transition planning needs to start. I do not believe that the final year is the right year to do it. I have seen what has been done in Cumas in Wexford this year through the ability programme under the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. Four social workers were involved in it. It ensured that we started planning for the school leave…

I thank the Deputy for raising the question. As he can appreciate, it is a very sensitive issue at this time. The CEO of the HSE met the chair of the board last Sunday and sent a very strong letter on Monday confirming his offer to encourage the organisation to sign its service level agreement, SLA, while also addressing the deficit, which is the real issue. My understanding is the board of St. John of God met yesterday. I do not have an update on that but I am hopeful, as we all are, that a positive resolution can…

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important matter for discussion in the Chamber today. As he quite rightly said, St. John of God Community Services provides services for 8,000 of our most vulnerable citizens across their entire life spectrum. It has 3,000 staff working for it. There is a collaborative approach, with the person at the centre, between the staff, the parents and the volunteers. A lot of parents whose young person has gone through service also give back their time. The HSE has worked intensively…

I have requested it. I am awaiting a response.

I appreciate that.

I finished by saying I issued an email. It was issued in the context of wanting the process to work. The process has to work and not only for St. John of God Community Services. I have to believe that in the Department and in the HSE under the leadership of Bernard Gloster, the process works. It is one thing to ensure we have sustainability to deliver services. The other part of the process is to address the outstanding deficit. I wish both parties, St. John of God and the HSE, well. I believe both want a positive …

Is the Deputy going to leave?

The Minister for Transport apologises that he is not here this morning. He has responsibility for the overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts, 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads progra…

Okay. There is no mention of that, but at the same time, it is here in my document. I will bring it back to the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The proposed N25 Castlemartyr to Killeagh bypass is now funded as part of a longer N25 Midleton to Youghal scheme that will include bypassing the villages of Castlemartyr and Killeagh. This would reduce congestion and greatly improve quality of life for residents in these villages. Cork County Council has advertised vacancies for technical advisers to advance the project through the…