Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2023
477. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the residential places for disabled people that were delivered in 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; and the residential places for disabled people that were allocated in Budget 2024. [51930/23]
View answer478. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth : the current unmet need in residential places for disabled people. [51931/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 477 and 478 together.
Residential services make up the largest part of the Specialist Disability Services funding disbursed by the HSE - 58% of the total budget. Approximately 90 service providers provide residential services to over 8,000 individuals throughout the country.
Across the four years from 2020 to 2023 budget, funding was provided to the HSE to support Residential Placements as detailed in the table below (noting that as some individuals’ needs change, so too can the funding required to support them) :
|
Year |
Residential Places Delivered |
|
Year |
Residential Places Delivered |
|
2020 |
8,139 |
|
2021 |
8,146 |
|
2022 |
8,283 |
|
2023 |
8,357 ( as of September 2023) |
It is important to note that residential capacity in the system can be reduced. When residents of congregated settings sadly pass away, their places are not ordinarily re-utilised. This is in keeping with Government policy to move away from institutionalised settings.
To date in 2023 there are over 100 new placements provided by the HSE.
For 2024, an additional €195m brings an unprecedented level of funding of almost €2.8bn for Disability services, providing the basis to continue to improve access to enhanced disability services throughout the country.
In residential services for adults and children, €20.5m in additional new funding has been provided for 2024. Work is underway on finalising the HSE National Service Plan 2024.
It is important too to refer to the Review of Disability Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements to 2032, which was published in July 2021. The review sets out the additional capacity required in specialist disability social care services in light of anticipated demographic changes, and addresses the gap between available services and the level of unmet need. It is intended to address the capacity deficits in a phased approach over this period.
The forthcoming Disability Action Plan details how the recommendations of the Capacity review will be implemented over the coming years.
