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Disability Support Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Ceisteanna (1295)

Carol Nolan

Ceist:

1295. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if a commitment will be given to fully implementing the report on the role of voluntary organisations in the provision of public disability services and to providing sufficient funding to address pay inequality among section-39 workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32979/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Report of the Independent Review Group established to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health and social services, published in February 2019, highlighted the important contribution that voluntary organisations have made and continue to make in the delivery of health and social care services across the country.

The key finding in the Report is the need to strengthen the relationship between the State and the voluntary sector. To this end, a Dialogue Forum with Voluntary Organisations was established in December 2019 as recommended in the Report as a key mechanism for strengthening this relationship. The aim of the Forum is to build a stronger working relationship between the State and the voluntary healthcare sector for the benefit of patients and service users. The Forum will also facilitate regular dialogue with the voluntary sector on Sláintecare and other policy initiatives and will consider issues around governance more generally.

The Forum is independently chaired by Peter Cassells. Members of the Forum include the Department, the HSE, HIQA, the Mental Health Commission and the main representative bodies of voluntary providers of health and social care: The Wheel; Mental Health Reform; Disability Federation of Ireland; Not for Profit Association; National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers; Voluntary Healthcare Forum; Voluntary Hospices Group and National Community Care Network.

The Forum met twice in December and January, but further meetings scheduled for March 2020 and May 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chair recently convened a sub-group of the Forum to act as a planning group to assist him in planning and, where appropriate, progressing the work of the Forum over the next three to four months. The Planning Group met online for the first time on 29 September 2020 and the Group will meet again in November and December. It is planned to recommence full Forum meetings in early 2021.

More generally, many of the Independent Review Group Report’s recommendations dovetail with the Sláintecare programme and are being considered in that context. In addition, some recommendations are being taken forward in the context of the Department of Rural and Community Development’s ‘Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities: A Five-Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland 2019-2024’.

With regard to Section 39 organisation pay restoration, a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement reached in October 2018 provided for pay restoration in relation to 50 pilot organisations in the first instance. Pay restoration for these bodies commenced in April 2019 with further payments due in October 2020 and October 2021 as appropriate. The agreement recognised that some of the remaining Section 39 organisations were also likely to have pay restoration issues and a process to address these issues commenced in 2019 under the auspices of the WRC. Despite the engagement which took place, it has not yet been possible to reach agreement. This is because management cannot provide a timeframe or a commitment to fund this part of the process.

The HSE are currently costing this next phase of pay restoration and are expected to complete the exercise in the coming weeks. Engagement will take place with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform once the HSE has completed this work. Health sector management remain committed to the process.

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