158. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the hourly rate paid under HSE direct payment, individualised funding, personal assistant direct employment, or similar schemes that allow a person with a disability to directly employ their own care worker or personal assistant; the annual rate applicable in each year from 2016 to 2026; and the date on which the rate was last increased. [74621/26]

A personalised budget is a payment made in lieu of specialist disability services that would otherwise be arranged or provided on an individual's behalf. Personalised budgets enable individuals to organise and manage support arrangements in a manner that best reflects their needs, preferences and goals.

To test the delivery of personalised budgets in an Irish context, the Personalised Budget Demonstrator Pilot was established in 2019 with a view to identifying the most appropriate approach for any future implementation of the model.

In 2023, responsibility for specialist disability services transferred from the Department of Health to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (now the Department of Children, Disability and Equality), and with it responsibility for the Demonstrator Pilot.

The Pilot concluded in May 2025 and subsequently entered its evaluation phase, led by the National Disability Authority (NDA). An evaluation report has been prepared by the NDA and is currently nearing finalisation.

The monetary value of a personalised budget package varies depending on the individual's circumstances and support arrangements. Under the Pilot, budget holders were enabled to determine how best to utilise their allocated budget to meet their needs through the purchasing of specialist disability supports, including personal assistance services. As a result, the manner in which budgets were utilised varied considerably between participants, reflecting differing support arrangements, purchasing decisions and individual circumstances.