Disability services in west Cork
Deputy Collins highlighted gaps in housing, transport, day care and respite for adults with intellectual disabilities in west Cork. The Taoiseach cited funding and work on disability housing, but the exchange ended without an answer on respite.
People with intellectual disabilities are at the very bottom when it comes to services. That includes social housing, where Before We Die, BWD was set up, to transport, where adults with disabilities are left at home because there is no transport service available. Look at the proposed day-care centre for adults with autism in Dunmanway. It was promised and is not being delivered, even though people gave the grounds to the State for free. Respite services in west Cork for adults with intellectual disabilities is at a level of zero. Families are seriously stressed, from Bandon down to the Castletownbere. This led to a peaceful protest two weeks ago in Bantry town. There is real frustration and serious burnout among families whose care, in some cases, is being carried out around the clock. Millions of euro have been collected down through the years from the west Cork people for respite. They were proud to give it but they expected delivery that never happened. Local CoAction management can only do so much with the funds it has. In areas like Bandon, Clonakilty, Bantry, Skibbereen and Castletownbere, will there be a fair and equal rollout of much-needed respite and will the Government match funds collected to deliver? If so, when?
Comment on this
There was substantial funding allocated last year to the section 38s and section 39s in respect of disability, both respite and residential, and also in terms of the financial issues many had. In terms of intellectual disability and housing, the Minister for housing has engaged with the local authorities across the length and breadth of the country and has engaged with the Minister for disability with respect to new quotas, essentially, or ring-fenced housing for people with disabilities. Every year, we are building about 10,000 new social homes. A portion of those will have to be ring-fenced for people with disability, particularly intellectual disabilities. We met with the Before We Die campaign recently. This is a commitment of Government. Working with local authorities, we will ensure that will become a reality on the ground in every local authority area.
In terms of transport, as the Deputy knows, the Minister for Transport has announced a new mobility grant scheme where grants will be available for adaptation to cars.
