Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2013
684. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the major collective effect of the cuts to personal assistants and the mobility allowance for children and adults with a disability; and if he will reverse these cuts. [22823/13]
View answerThe Government currently provides funding of over €1.5 billion to the Disability Services Programme, through the Health Service Executive's (HSE) National Service Plan for 2013 and is committed to protecting frontline services for people with disabilities to the greatest possible extent. The Minister for Health is working to ensure that protection is afforded to the disability sector, and the Social Care area as a whole. In 2013, the HSE is seeking to maximise the provision of services within available resources and to maintaining a consistent level to that provided in 2012, by continuing to provide 1.68m hours of Personal Assistant / Home Support Hours along with: - residential services to over 9,000 people with a disability; - day services to over 22,000 people with intellectual and physical disabilities; and - respite residential support for over 7,500 people with intellectual and physical disabilities.
The Government is very conscious of the needs of the people with disability who require transport supports from the State. The Government is also conscious of the position of the Ombudsman that the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant schemes are illegal in the context of the Equal Status Acts. Following detailed consideration of issues surrounding the two schemes, the Government decided in February that it is no longer possible to allow the schemes to continue and to devise an alternative for meeting people's needs.
It is important to note that the decision is in no way intended to save costs and the funding involved in the two schemes (€10.6 million) remains committed to meeting the transport needs of relevant people. It is also important to note that despite the fact that both schemes ended in February, the payment of Mobility Allowance to those currently in receipt will continue until June, as we devise an alternative method of meeting people's needs.
A special Project Group, which is independently chaired, has been established to seek an alternative method to provide for the priority transport needs of people in a manner that does not run counter to the Equal Status Acts. The Project Group are to report to Government this month, before any final decisions are made on the future arrangements. At this stage, I am not in a position to pre-empt the outcome of the review or the decision of the Government.
