This is not my speech.

That is not in my speech.

I did not.

Do not misquote me.

I am glad to have the opportunity to provide details of the additional €195 million that will be invested in services for 2024, bringing the total investment to €2.8 billion. Since my appointment to this role, my overarching ambition has always been to provide and improve a range of disability services available to both adults and children. This year's financial allocation for disability services demonstrates the Government's strong commitment to building capacity in this area. My priorities for 2024 will be the en…

The Deputy should not forget the ELS budget of €165 million.

I thank the Acting Chairperson and Senator Byrne. He is raising this matter for the fourth time today. I am pleased to provide a further update on the matter, which I know he previously raised with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, on whose behalf I am taking the Commencement matter. He sends his apologies for not being in a position to attend this morning. I will let the Senator judge whether we have made progress. The Irish Coast Guard, a division of the Department of Transport, has 44 units based in 58 Co…

I certainly will bring it back to the Minister of State. He is probably listening in to the Commencement debate this morning. The public spending code has been reviewed with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, so that might enable the pushing of the project along a little quicker.

I welcome the motion from Sinn Féin as an opportunity to debate the important issue of early learning and childcare. I support the amendment put forward by the Minister, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman. It is clear from the debate so far that we all recognise the importance of early learning and childcare for children and their families, as well as for society and the wider community. We are all in agreement that further efforts are needed to: reduce out-of-pocket costs for families; to improve the pay and working conditio…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue here today, and I will bring it up with the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly when he returns next week.

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, met yesterday with many of the disability organisations and is reviewing a lot of the assessment criteria for disability allowances. I am sure the issue the Deputy has raised is under consideration by the Minister.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I agree it is not acceptable whatsoever. The office of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, has been thoroughly engaged in this process. Many buses were returned because drivers were unavailable. We are working on the issue and it is a priority within the office of the Minister to ensure that all children with disabilities can access education. I will take up the matter with her again today.

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. Drumlin House training centre provides rehabilitative training and day services for adults with an intellectual disability, some of whom have autism, physical and sensory disabilities, and complex needs. The service has been one of the main providers of places for school leavers in the past 20 years. The Senator is quite right that we visited it. I got a wonderful reception. I compliment Ms O'Reilly and her staff but I also want to compliment the board. The fac…

I thank the Senator. It is also important to note that Ms Edel Quinn in CHO 1 is working closely with Ms Breege O'Reilly, and working locally with the Cavan-Monaghan disability service leads in the HSE to ensure that we have a building that is fit-for-purpose for the people in the area. They are working to ensure that we can build up the hubs and the satellites but also to make sure that we modernise and meet the needs of the young and not-so-young adults in order that it is a fit-for-purpose, bespoke unit. It is o…

I thank Senator Clonan for the opportunity to come here this evening. Good evening to him and to his family who are present. I know more than Senator Ruane, yet I too find it all confusing. I will bring Members to where some of this confusion has come from and then I will address the Bill. I have spent the past two and three quarter years trying to get out of the Department of Health. I am now in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for the last three months. To be fair to the Min…

No.

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this important matter today. The HSE provides specialist disability services, including day services and rehabilitative training, to people with disabilities who require such services. While day service funding does not include transport, some transport supports are provided by the HSE or funded agencies on a discretionary basis, and a variety of transport solutions are pursued in different CHO areas. To be quite honest, this discretionary basis is the nub of the issue. We are sp…

When I say it has been extended for three months, that means that all service users will have a service in September. That is the most important thing. In the national context, the HSE has been working with the NTA on the issue of transport to day services through the open routes project. Open routes is based on the idea that transport to HSE services, such as day services, would be best served by accessible local public transport, Local Link, transporting people to day services and servicing the wider local commun…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Senator for giving me the opportunity to address this important issue in the House this afternoon. The programme for Government, Our Shared Future, includes a commitment for advancing neurorehabilitation services in the community. The HSE is leading on the implementation framework in respect of recommendations of the national policy and strategy for that provision of neurorehabilitation services in Ireland 2011 to 2015. The implementation framework for the neurorehabilitation…

I have a lot to say on this matter because I seldom get out to speak about it. Community neurorehabilitation is incredibly important and when one talks about the strategy, what we want is people to come out of the National Rehabilitation Centre, NRH. What we want is people to come out of long-term residential care to be supported in the community. That is the priority. What we do need to do is work to the strategy. I have to be fair to the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath. I put this proposal to him last year as pa…