2944. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress made to date on delivering the Programme for Government commitment to expand independent living options for persons with disabilities; the indicators being used to measure delivery of this commitment; and the position regarding community-based living capacity in Kildare north. [61734/26]

2945. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken under the Programme for Government to support adults with intellectual disabilities living with ageing family carers to transition, where appropriate, to independent or supported community-living arrangements; the progress being made against the goals set out in the Disability Capacity Review in this regard; and the supports and residential/supported living places currently available or planned for County Kildare. [61735/26]

3070. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress made in delivering the relevant commitments under the Programme for Government and the Disability Capacity Review in respect of supported living and residential disability services; to outline existing and planned capacity in County Kildare, including in Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip and Kilcock; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63078/26]

3071. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to support adults with intellectual disabilities living with ageing family carers to transition to independent, supported or community-based living arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63076/26]

3072. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress made on delivering the Programme for Government commitment to expand independent living options for persons with disabilities; the indicators being used to measure delivery of this commitment; the position regarding community-based living capacity in Kildare North, particularly the work of organisations such as an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63074/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2944, 2945, 3070, 3071 and 3072 together.

The 2025 Programme for Government includes a number of commitments to advance the rights and improve the lives of people with disabilities, including:

• The development of a multi-year capital plan for investment in residential and independent living options for both adults and children, while continuing to implement the Time to Move on from Congregated Settings Strategy.

• Addressing waiting lists for specialist disability services by implementation of the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-6, and resourcing and delivering on its targets.

The Programme for Government recognises the requirement for a whole-of-government approach to advance the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

In 2025, the Department for Children, Disability and Equality published the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was developed with input from disabled people and representative organisations on the issues that matter the most to them.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, will work in collaboration with a number of other Departments and agencies including the HSE and Local Authorities, to advance Pillar 3 of the Strategy, which outlines a collective approach to provide a clear pathway for disabled people to access the supports they require to live independently and address societal barriers that impact on their daily lives.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality continues to engage with the HSE, to expand and develop a range of services for people with disabilities including residential services and supports for people to live in their community such as day services, respite, home support and personal assistance. Engagement is also ongoing to improve the process for service users and families to access residential services.

In recognition of the high demand for these services, approximately €3.9 billion of funding has been allocated to Specialist Disability Services in 2026, representing a 20% increase.

Specialist disability residential services make up the largest part of the Disability funding disbursed by the HSE, almost 60% (€2.2bn) of the total budget. €65m has been allocated to Disability Residential Services in 2026 for new developments, which includes €40m of funding that will provide in the region of 199 new residential responses. This includes 152 newly created residential placements consisting of 72 planned placements and 80 (Priority 1) new placements to meet urgent need, as outlined in the HSE’s National Service Plan for 2026. Funding will also support new residents in existing placements that have become vacant and require enhancement and in limited circumstances, placements in nursing home settings.

The 2026 National Service Plan includes details of a move towards a more planned and responsive system of service provision with progress reflected in key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure transparency and accountability in meeting service needs.

Throughout 2026 the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is undertaking research and progressing policy development, with a view to developing a new policy framework for specialist residential services. The policy development process will consider a range of matters relevant to specialist residential services including models of service.

Other key supports that facilitate people with disabilities to maintain their independence and participate in their communities are personal assistance (PA) and home support.

Recognising the importance of these crucial services, Budget 2026 provided €5m to support the delivery of over 100,000 additional home support and 50,000 additional PA hours this year, enabling approximately 7,000 people to receive disability home support services and almost 3,000 adults to receive PA this year. Budget 2026 also saw a significant investment of €15m to increase the rate for home support and PA service delivery from €25 per hour to €32.73 per hour, helping ensure providers can build and sustain the workforce needed to support people with disabilities every day and fulfilling a key Programme for Government commitment to align the disability rates with the rate paid for similar support services in other sectors.

Work is also advancing to develop a policy framework on supports for community living which considers home support and personal assistance as part of a system of supports for community living. The work will also consider the appropriate role of personalised budgets within that system, exploring how best to structure and configure the supports across the system to deliver meaningful choice, control and autonomy for disabled people in Ireland.

As part of the annual Estimates process, engagement is ongoing between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and the Health Service Executive in respect of the funding requirements for 2027, for a range of Specialist Disability Services including residential supports and supports for people to live in their community.

Availability of suitable housing is particularly important in the delivery of residential supports. The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 provides the framework for the delivery of housing for people with all levels of disability.

Significant progress has been made, through the implementation structures established under this Strategy including establishing the levels of unmet need for specialist disability residential services in each county or local authority area. This information will inform the setting of annual targets from 2027 to 2030, in the upcoming local authority Housing Development Action Plans. These plans include specific provision for Disabled and Older People to address the unmet need identified.

In respect of the queries related to specifically to County Kildare, as raised in this question, the HSE advised the following:

Disability Services Kildare West Wicklow (KWW) actively engage in planning for independent living, supported living and residential services across the region. Disability Services KWW meet with Dara Community Living Service and other Section 38 and Section 39 service providers on a 6 to 8 weekly basis to review current service capacity, identify emerging needs, and plan for the development of independent and supported living opportunities within local communities.

In addition, Disability Services KWW are represented on County Council Disability Subgroup Meetings, which facilitates ongoing engagement with Kildare County Council, South Dublin County Council and other relevant stakeholders regarding housing provision and the development of supported and independent living models for people with disabilities.

Through this collaborative approach, progress continues to be made in expanding community-based living options. To date in 2026, four individuals have successfully transitioned to supported living arrangements with Dara Community Living Services within the communities of Maynooth and Celbridge with ongoing planning for one other person before year end.