Thomas P. Broughan
Ceist:31. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Health if he will restore the disability training allowance for new entrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41178/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 10 October 2019
Ceisteanna (31)
Freagraí scríofa
The Government’s priority is to provide access to high quality day services to as many people with disabilities as possible. The HSE currently funds day services for over 27,000 people with disabilities, including day services and Rehabilitative Training Programmes.
The HSE’s New Directions policy seeks to reconfigure and personalise HSE funded adult day services and offers a flexible and individualised set of supports to enable each person to live a life of their choosing in accordance with their own wishes and needs.
Rehabilitative Training Programmes are designed to equip participants with basic personal, social and work-related skills. Approximately 2,200 people attend Rehabilitative Training programmes, including the approximately 400 new school leavers who have commenced their Rehabilitative Training programme since September this year.
The Rehabilitative Training Bonus payment is currently payable at a rate of €31.80 per week. It was introduced in 2001, aligned with a similar FÁS Training Bonus that later became the Solas Vocational Training Programme payment. It is important to note that this payment was reduced in 2011 and discontinued in 2012, while to date the Rehabilitative Training Bonus has continued to be paid in the Health Sector.
Since September 2019, the Rehabilitative Training Bonus payment no longer applies to new attendees. Rather, the money that would have been spent on the bonus, estimated at approximately €3.7 million over four years, will be redirected to address unmet need in day service provision for people with disabilities.
This redirected funding, which the HSE has confirmed will be ring-fenced, will create approximately 148 additional full day placements or 370 additional enhanced day places nationally. Access will be targeted to those with a reduced service or no service arising from there being minimal or no investment in day services during the recession and will be based on priority need.
Each Community Healthcare Organisation will have the flexibility to redirect its own savings to address local service requirements, and the HSE has confirmed it will be reporting regularly to the Department of Health on the additional placements realised.
I wish to emphasise that current participants in Rehabilitative Training Programmes will not be affected, and their payments will continue until they complete their 4-year programme.
The reason for this action is therefore to bring equity and consistency between people with a disability attending HSE funded rehabilitative training programmes who receive the payment, and those attending similar HSE funded Day Services or in other State schemes such as further education and training, who do not.