I absolutely agree it is vital for people with disabilities. That is why the Government has added 270,000 additional hours in the past four budgets. We have increased PA by 15% of what is there already. I totally agree that PA is important not just for accessing education, but also ensuring that as a person steps out of education, he or she can step directly into employment. The HSE personal assistant service was developed to provide a service for adults with physical disabilities that enables them to live their li…

The Deputy has asked a lot of very matter-of-fact questions. It is recognised that there are inconsistencies among disabled people in accessing PA support. That is why we have established a PA review group within the Department to develop a protocol for the eligibility and allocation of personal assistance services based on a universal agreed definition of personal assistance in collaboration with my Department, disabled people and service providers. Work has started on that. When I came into the Department, €40 mi…

The Deputy is putting me on the spot as to what the actual budget is for this year. I believe it is €2.5 million. In 2020, 40,000 additional hours were added; in 2021, 40,000 additional hours were added; and in 2022, 120,000 additional hours were added. In 2023, 70,000 were added, and the Deputy has asked why there has been a drop. To be quite honest, it was to do with the recruitment of staff. The budget is going up to €2.5 million again, which equates to between 70,000 and 120,000 hours. Hopefully, that will brin…

I greatly value the role played by disabled persons organisations, DPOs, in representing the living experience of people with disabilities in Ireland. This is crucial to the development, implementation and monitoring of law, policy and human rights in Ireland. DPOs are explicitly recognised in the UNCRPD through Articles 4(3), 33(3), and General Comment No. 7. In response to the Deputy's question, there are no immediate plans for the development of a register or a related specific policy on the categorisation of DP…

I thank Deputy Michael Moynihan for his opening contribution. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak with all Members and those listening in this evening. Deputy Moynihan was quite right when he talked about the number of people who tune into the Joint Committee on Disability Matters because it matters to them. There is a huge population who tune in. I want to pay tribute to all of the members of the committee. I do not want to single out any individual because I know every one of them works as a collectiv…

I thank everyone for their contributions. The programme for Government commits to the ratification of the optional protocol and the Government intends to fulfil it. Both the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and I have indicated that we are open to earlier ratification of the optional protocol and that the Department has commenced the necessary scoping exercise to ascertain the requirements for ratifying the protocol at the earliest opportunity. While the exact date for ratification cannot be provided yet, it is a priorit…

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address this issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport. Coastal railway construction and maintenance has always been challenging. Throughout its history, interventions have been required to protect the east coast rail line from impacts of embankments, water coming over the line and coastal erosion. The Minister for Transport understands that Iarnród Éireann has, over many years, managed the coastal defence of the east coast Dublin to Rosslare line and monitors the coast…

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Deputy for his comments and his interest in this important issue. As I mentioned, Iarnród Éireann has been monitoring this east coast rail line and the effects of coastal erosion on it for many years. In noting the increase in severity and frequency of erosion impacts Iarnród Éireann has developed a series of infrastructure protection projects known as the east coast railway infrastructure protection project, ECRIPP. The project, with indicative costs of €230 mil…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for offering the opportunity to respond. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O’Gorman, who regrettably could not be here this morning and sends his apologies. With State funding in early learning and childcare at an all-time high and set to reach €1.109 billion in 2024, the Minister and the Government have demonstrated a strong track record in this policy area. This funding delivers two years of fr…

I absolutely will ask the Minister. Knowing him and how he likes the coastline and everything else, I would say he will be snapping at the Deputy's heels to visit west Cork. I will take up the issue with the Minister on that basis. The Deputy mentioned St. Mary's and the wonderful work it does, along with the 4,200 other childcare providers throughout the country. They are phenomenal in the work they do. The Deputy has raised this issue on the record previously. I will certainly bring it back to the Minister. To be…

I thank the Deputy. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I first acknowledge the enormous damage caused by the recent flood events as a result of Storm Babet and the impact it has had on families, communities and businesses. Yesterday, the Government opened two emergency business flooding schemes for small businesses, sports clubs, and community and voluntary organisations unable to secure flood insurance and affected by recent flooding in counties Cork, Waterford, Limerick,…

To be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, her answer is more than comprehensive. I have not read it all into the record but the Deputy has it. I will give her wrap-up statement. I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue and I reassure the House that the Government is keenly aware of ongoing climate issues affecting citizens across the country. We will continue to have a whole-of-government approach to this matter to put in place preventative measures, including flooding defences, to prot…

I will do that.

I wish to thank the Members of this House for raising this important issue and providing me and my colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, with the opportunity to have this discussion this evening. I also welcome to the Gallery the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies, FEDVOL, St. Christopher's Services, Cheeverstown, the Disability Federation of Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association, and Rehab Group. I also acknowledge any individuals or families who are looking in along with the new organisation, the Lea…

Section 38 organisations.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to engage with him on it. I look forward to taking away the four suggestions made by the parents. It is very important that children are fitted for their equipment in a timely fashion. It is very important for children who need access to wheelchairs as they grow that their needs are met. If they are not, other issues will follow suit. I hear what the Deputy is saying about redeployment or even if we could just introduce the HSE's own policy, th…

I look forward to engaging with the Deputy going forward on County Donegal and the CDNT. I am concerned about the CDNT in County Donegal for the simple reason that it is a HSE team. If we fail to recruit onto a HSE team, my options are very limited. We have to make it incredibly attractive. The clinicians were incredibly helpful to me during the summer when I was down there. They are the ones who told me about the panel process, what I needed to do and am trying to do. To be very fair to Bernard Gloster, he is more…

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter, which the Government has been working intensively to resolve in recent weeks and months. The sustainability and stability of health and social care sectors and the impact of industrial action on essential services is a concern for the Government. I am particularly aware that staff recruitment and retention challenges have been affecting the sustainability and stability of the section 39 and section 56 organisations, and their ability to deliver services on behalf of the St…

I have consistently stated that the Government's commitment to the sustainability and stability of the health and social care sectors, recognising the ability of the voluntary organisations to pay their staff, is highly dependent on State funding. That is critical. I have totally recognised that and, along with everybody else here in the House, I have advocated for it. As the Deputy totally understands, we had to engage in a process. The process may have been a bit late in starting and it may have taken a little bi…

I welcome this opportunity to address the House on the hugely important role that section 39 and section 56 organisations and their staff play in our health and social care services. I welcome everyone in this Gallery to hear this debate. Next week, a number of section 39 and section 56 organisations may begin a strike. This matter is highly important to me and to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I recognise the potential impact that any industrial action will have on the lives of those who avail of services provided…