Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2018
409. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Health if a blind person can receive a direct payment in lieu of personal assistant hours in order that they can purchase a flexible personal assistant service to meet their specific needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30115/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently no means by which a person can receive a direct payment to purchase a personal assistant service. However, as the Deputy may be aware, in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government I established a Task Force on Personalised Budgets for People with Disabilities on 20 September 2016. The Task Force consisted of a Strategy Group and an Advisory & Consultative Group. It included officials from the relevant Government Departments and agencies, HSE, academic and policy experts, stakeholder organisations and a wide range of people with lived experience of disability and disability services (both intellectual and physical).
Its remit was to consider people whose primary disability was physical or sensory, intellectual, autism, neurological or any combination of these and to make recommendations on personalised budgets models which will give people with disabilities more control in accessing health funded personal social services, giving them greater independence and choice in accessing services which best meet their individual needs. The Report, which I intend to publish in the near future, will outline the next steps for the development of personalised budgets in Ireland.
