Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004
215 Mr. McHugh asked the Minister for Finance if in the forthcoming budget he will make sufficient finance available to enable persons with disabilities to participate as full and equal citizens in Irish society; if he will allocate funding in order that resourced community services can be provided for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26734/04]
View answerAt this time of the year I receive a large number of pre-budget submissions requesting funding for a wide range of issues. Each one will be considered in the context of the forthcoming budget.
As I have previously indicated, there is already a significant level of investment by Government in disability specific services through a number of Departments. At present, some €2.5 billion, representing 7% of gross current public expenditure on services, is provided specifically for people with disabilities. This includes health sector services specifically for persons with an intellectual disability or autism, physical or sensory disabilities and mental illness; first and second level special needs education funded through the Department of Education and Science; the specialised training and employment support services provided by FÁS; the cost of various tax relief schemes; and local authority spending to adapt accommodation specifically for people with disabilities. These figures do not take account of the income support and other services provided through the Department of Social and Family Affairs or the fact that many people with a disability participate in, or benefit from, mainstream public service programmes and services. For example, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and other similar key services for people with a disability are provided as part of the mainstream health services. Similarly, improving access to public transport services for persons with mobility and sensory impairments is an integral requirement of all Exchequer funded new investment in buses, rolling stock and station infrastructure.
The Deputy will also be aware that the Disability Bill was recently published and was accompanied by an announcement of new funding arrangements for capital and current spending on disability support services. On the capital front, a multi-annual capital investment programme for disability-specific services will be developed within the overall system of five-year multi-annual capital envelopes introduced in budget 2004. This was a major change in the treatment of capital spending. It provided for a rolling investment programme and a structured and planned approach to capital spending. These envelopes will be reviewed and rolled forward in the current Estimates and budget process. Decisions in relation to the investment programme for disability-specific services will be announced as part of that process.
On the current side, the Government has decided on a fundamentally different approach to current funding for high priority disability support services. In contrast to the traditional year-to-year basis, a multi-annual funding package for current expenditure on these services will be agreed within the Estimates and budget process. This is the first time that Government has adopted this approach in the case of spending on services. This new approach shows the Government's commitment to funding for disability support services and overall to implementing the initiatives announced with the publication of the Disability Bill.
