Minister of State, Anne Rabbitte is delighted to announce the allocation of 100 million to disability services.

Minister Rabbitte commented:

Today’s investment of €100m in disability services is unprecedented.  The increased level of funding will deliver more timely intervention for children and young people by providing 100 additional posts for children’s therapeutic services.

The additional investment will build the capacity of our adult disability services and increase day services by one day a week, for those whose services were reduced due to COVID-19. It will also support around 1,700 young people who leave school and training programmes in 2021.

She went on to say:

New residential places will be provided for persons with a disability, while the provision of intensive support packages will support persons with complex needs to enable them to remain in their own community.

There will also be a renewed focus on assisting people to move out of congregated settings to homes in the community and addressing the inappropriate placement of young people with disabilities in nursing homes.

Increased community support will help to keep people living in their own homes through increased and alternative models of respite, intensive support packages, and additional PA hours.

I am also very pleased to announce that €20 million is being made available on a once off basis in the current year to support voluntary disability service providers engaged in the Transforming Lives Reform programme. Criteria for disbursement of this funding will be available next week.