The front page of the Irish Examiner this morning makes for very distressing reading for families of children and adults with disabilities and special needs. The chief executive of Cope Foundation, Mr. Seán Abbott, has said that the services and level of services are the worst he has seen in 38 years. He has said that adults with intellectual disabilities are essentially couch surfing between family members while waiting to access residential care at Cope Foundation. He said:

I have never seen anything like this... We always had the ability to say yes to people, now we spend all of our time saying no. We have to sit across the table from people and see the weariness in their eyes and say: "We can't help you, other than advocating for resources on your behalf".

There are 400 children at the Cope Foundation awaiting assessment for autism spectrum disorder. Of those who have been assessed, more than 1,350 children are awaiting specialist intervention. Some have been waiting years and will age out of ever getting seen. A total of 174 adults are on a residential waiting list, many of whom have no permanent home. A total of 649 adults have been identified as having "changing needs" and require further intervention and support while over 40% of the adults currently supported by the Cope Foundation are over the age of 45, which is becoming a significant issue with regard to parents over the ages of 70 or 80 having to cater for adults with special needs who urgently need residential accommodation. Cope Foundation has just 11 whole-time equivalent staff tackling the 1,350 cases on the specialist intervention waiting list and the 400 children awaiting assessment. Mr. Abbott said:

No matter how fast we do it, we will never clear it... It keeps growing... You get diagnosed and you wait for assessment. You get assessed and you wait for intervention.

No additional residential places or adult therapies have been funded.

Cope Foundation supports about 2,300 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. It is a well-known, well-respected and indeed historic service provider in the Cork region. Mr. Abbott is a reasonable man who has worked with Deputies from all parties. He is not given to a high public profile. The fact that he has issued these statements is a huge cry for help and a huge call to the Government to change direction. This is reflected nationally. The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies made a submission to the Oireachtas in June encapsulating of these issues.

Does the Taoiseach agree that this highlights that the Government lacks vision, commitment and above all, delivery for the disability sector? Does he accept that the Government has been in denial about the scale of the challenges facing many families of children and adults with special needs? These families are under enormous pressure fighting battles they cannot win. Will the Government look at the Revised Estimates with a view to increasing resources significantly for organisations like the Cope Foundation?

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Cope Foundation is a voluntary organisation that provides a comprehensive range of services to approximately 2,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities on behalf of the HSE under section 38 of the Health Act. Services include early intervention, schooling, training, adult day services, supported employment, housing, information and advice at 65 locations throughout Cork city and county. Cope Foundation employs 800 staff. The services it provides are very well regarded and the staff are highly respected.

Funding for the Cope Foundation has increased year on year since 2016. In 2016, it was €44.3 million; in 2017, it was €53.1 million; in 2018, €55.6 million; and in 2019, it is €56.1 million. Cope Foundation has received a 26% increase in budget under this Fine Gael-Independent Administration. I am not sure if that 26% increase in budget has resulted in a 20% increase in service levels. Often this is not possible because of inflation and pay demands but in general, taxpayers expect that a significant increase in funding should result in an increase in services and the quality of services even if it is not the same level as the increase.

The Government is, of course, committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. As announced in the budget last week, the overall budget for disability services in 2020 will be in excess of €2 billion for the first time. Decisions have not yet been made yet on how this €2 billion will be allocated. That is done as part of the HSE's service plan for 2020 and is then broken down to local level so these discussions are only beginning. The €2 billion allocated to disability services next year has yet to be divided up among the different organisations so those discussions must begin. I do not think it would be right for me to comment further at this stage on any individual organisation's bid for funding because all organisations around the country will also be requesting an increase and there will never be enough to go around to satisfy all requests for increases. However, there will be increases for the vast majority of organisations. Indeed 2,000 organisations are receiving funding from the HSE. They vary in terms of size, geographic coverage and the range of services provided.

The Taoiseach's response concerns me. It is similar to his response yesterday when I raised the issue of homelessness. The Taoiseach focused in defensive mode on the issues pertaining to Mr. Hourihane, who was savagely beaten to death, instead of on the wider issues his death revealed in terms of the Government's inaction on housing. It is the same with his response today where he has essentially attacked, almost implying that the Cope Foundation is not spending the money it has got or is not doing it adequately or that he would like to see a 26% increase in services. The Government seems to be very intolerant of criticism, which is why people like Mr. Abbott have not spoken out for years. It is because they have a sense that they will get beaten back down, that it will be taken out on them by the Government and the authorities. That is a genuine feeling out there and that is what the Taoiseach just implied. What the Taoiseach did not do is point out that, essentially, the number of people for whom Cope Foundation works has doubled. As Mr. Abbott noted, it now caters for 2,300 children and adults. Cope Foundation catered for half that figure five years ago. It is not just about the Cope Foundation. The presentation by the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies to the Oireachtas in June concerned the funding crisis in disability services. People are not making this up.

Families with children with special needs are not making up the uncertainties, anxieties or stress they are under, or the fact that they cannot get assessments or access to speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and so on. The Government is not delivering on disability issues. Last year, provision was made for 100 therapists.

The Deputy's time is up.

Only eight of those therapists actually got through.

All 100 will be hired.

We were told during the Estimates discussion with the Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform that only eight therapists were hired out of that 100.

That is not true. The Deputy is misleading the House. I will write to him and he can correct the record.

I do not want the Minister to write to me. He should talk to the families in question and engage with them. The Government is in denial about the stress and anxiety families are facing.

The Deputy is over time. I ask him to conclude.

The Government must change tack on its delivery of services to people with disabilities.

This is coming from the man who cut the disability allowance.

Much like yesterday, the Deputy is trying to misrepresent and mischaracterise my response in order to score political points and make himself look good.

That is not true.

It is exactly true and it is disappointing.

We were shocked into silence by what the Taoiseach said yesterday.

The Cope Foundation does fabulous work which we support and respect. It received a 26% budget increase in the past three years under this Government and will receive a further increase next year, as we have set aside €2 billion for disability services in 2020. The other truth is that when Deputy Micheál Martin was in government, his party cut the budget for disability services and the disability allowance.

Was Fianna Fáil in government? I had forgotten.

The Deputy is no friend of people with disabilities. Fianna Fáil's record on disability is appalling. It cut services and the disability allowance.

The Taoiseach should talk to people in the disability sector about my record.

We have increased the budget for services to a record high and restored the disability allowance. The Deputy should be ashamed of his record on disability and should not be so self-righteous in this House.

The Taoiseach should look at services in his own constituency. They are not even open yet.

Fianna Fáil cut the disability allowance. It should be ashamed of how it treated people with disabilities.

I ask Deputies to calm down.

Fianna Fáil hammered people with disabilities when it was in government.

Where are the schools?

Eaten bread is soon forgotten.

The whistle has not been blown yet, so I ask Deputies to calm down.

I call Deputy McDonald.