Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2022
819. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Health the projected cost of providing access to support workers and personal assistants for autistic adults and of legislating for the right to personal assistance for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37196/22]
View answerThe HSE provides a range of assisted living services including Personal Assistant (PA) Services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.
PA Services are not accessed by disability, they are accessed through an application process or through referrals from public health nurses or other community based staff. Individual’s needs are evaluated against the criteria for prioritisation for the particular services and then decisions are made in relation to the allocation of resources.
Resource allocation is determined by the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available. It is important to note that the level of service delivered is varied to ensure that each client’s needs are reflected.
The HSE’s priority is to continue to deliver high quality PA Services in 2022 to 2,500 people with disabilities. In accordance with the National Service Plan 2022, the HSE will deliver 1.7 million PA hours, including 120,000 additional hours, to expand and enhance supports for people to live self-directed lives in their own
The Programme for Government commits to the development of an implementation plan to co-ordinate implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This would include examining how best to ensure that people with disabilities can access the support services, including Personal Assistance, that they require to participate in their community.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have no plans for additional legislation governing the rights, entitlements and operations associated with the PA service at this time.
