Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
1470. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health if responsibilities and functions for disability services remain under his remit; if not, if these have been transferred to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; if these services are to be transferred, when this will occur; if, for budget purposes, disability spending remains under the health vote; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14343/21]
View answerFollowing the Government's announcement regarding the establishment of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Integration, arrangements are underway for the transfer of disability services to the new Department.
There are a number of factors to be taken into consideration in planning for this transfer of functions. Given the scale of the functions being transferred and the significant budget involved (c. €2.2bn in 2021), there are multiple financial, HR, policy, legal and governance workstreams underway within my Department to sequence the range of tasks necessary to effectively complete the transfer of responsibility between both Departments.
Since the Taoiseach’s announcement in June 2020, both Departments have worked together to provide effective oversight and co-ordination of the various tasks involved in the transfer of policy and budgetary responsibility. While significant progress has already been made in advancing the transfer, work to-date has emphasised the complexity and interconnected nature of the service and financial arrangements currently in place. Due to the complex nature of these current arrangements, it will be necessary to draft and enact primary legislation to establish the arrangements for the new Department in a legally robust manner. To that end, it is intended to bring the General Scheme of a Bill to Government in the first half of this year.
