October 21 2008

Dáil Debates

• Questions to Minister for Social and Family Affairs: National Carers Strategy

Parliamentary Questions

• Personal Advocacy Service for persons with disabilities
• Dental Services
• HSE Adult Day Services Review

DÁIL DEBATES

• Questions to Minister for Social and Family Affairs: National Carers Strategy

Deputy Jan O’Sullivan (L): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when she will publish a national carers strategy.

Deputy Joe Carey (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when the national carers strategy will be published;

Deputy Mary Hanafin: The development of a national carers strategy is a key Government commitment in both the national partnership agreement Towards 2016 and the programme for Government. A working group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach is working on developing the strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working group, which also includes representatives of the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment, as well as FÁS and the Health Service Executive. Developing the strategy involves consultation with other Departments and bodies not represented on the working group. The Department has met with a wide range of organisations, including the Equality Authority, the Combat Poverty Agency, the Citizens Information Board, the National Council on Ageing and Older People, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the National Disability Authority. A request for submissions from the public was published in regional newspapers in early March. The closing date for submissions was Friday, 18 April. There was a good response from individuals and organisations and the submissions received are being examined. Towards 2016 commits the Department to hosting an annual consultation meeting of carer representative groups and relevant Departments and agencies. Such a meeting was held on 23 January 2008. Representatives of 12 groups and nine Departments and bodies attended. The theme was the national carers strategy and groups were given an opportunity to comment on the draft terms of reference and to raise other issues considered relevant in the context of the strategy.

I was pleased to launch the report, Listening to Carers: Report on a Nationwide Carer Consultation, produced by the Carers Association in partnership with Caring for Carers Ireland and Care Alliance Ireland on 30 June this year. The issues raised in the report are being considered as part of the development of the strategy. The commitment to the development of a national carers strategy also includes a commitment to appropriate consultation with the social partners. An update on the strategy was provided to the social partners’ plenary session in February. The first of two consultation meetings with the social partners was held on 8 May. Key issues raised were recognition for carers and their work, access to suitable health services, income support, training, gender issues and balancing employment and care. We are working on bringing the carers strategy to completion.

Deputy Róisín Shortall (L): There has been considerable slippage in the delivery of the Government’s undertaking. Is it a case of the Government not giving adequate priority to the work of carers? The programme for Government states: “Ensure a National Carers’ Strategy focusing on supporting informal and family carers in the community will be developed by the end of 2007.” That is a delay of ten months. It would be easy to come to the conclusion that the Minister, who is new to her Department, is not giving adequate priority to the issues of carers. The country depends on the vast number of people providing care to ensure that people can remain in their homes and that the cost to the Exchequer does not go through the roof entirely. What is the reason for the ten-month delay in delivering on the undertaking given in the programme for Government? At what point is the publication of the strategy expected?

Deputy Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be well aware that, according to Towards 2016, the strategy was due for publication by the end of 2007, but there was a particular pressure on the Green Paper on Pensions at the time.

Deputy Olwyn Enright (FG): It was also a commitment.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: Simultaneously, the new arrangements for payments for nursing homes were being worked out.

Deputy Róisiín Shortall: The Government knew that when it drew up the programme for Government.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: Yes, but it was not possible for the same officials——

Deputy Olwyn Enright: So the programme for Government is meaningless.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: It seems that it slipped off the Minister’s desk.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: ——to work on everything, particularly something that needs the care and attention of a carers strategy.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: Did the Government not know that when the programme was drawn up?

Deputy Olwyn Enright: Why promise it?

Deputy Mary Hanafin: The commitment was given in Towards 2016.

Deputy Olwyn Enright: For 2007.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: It was stated in the programme for Government that the strategy would be published by the end of 2007.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle (Brendan Howlin): The Minister without interruption.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: I would be quite happy to tell the House why it did not occur, but perhaps the Deputy might be more interested to know what will occur.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: I want both questions answered.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: Certainly. Last year, one group of officials was working on two major items, namely, the carers strategy and the Green Paper on Pensions. Work was also ongoing in respect of nursing homes, a matter in which the Department of Social and Family Affairs had an input. That the paper and the carers strategy were not published at the time did not take from the Government’s commitment, as shown in last year’s budget, which dealt with half-rate carers, substantial increases in respite care and the introduction of large income disregards.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: My question relates to the carers strategy. When can we expect it to be published?

Deputy Mary Hanafin: It is not an indication of a lack of commitment on the part of the Government that the strategy has not yet been published——

Deputy Róisín Shortall: There is no sign of it after ten months.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: Significant provisions have been put in place to recognise the important work of carers in society. Since then, work has been ongoing on submissions, meetings and consultations. That work is now drawing towards completion. It involves not only my Department but also the Department of the Taoiseach and, in particular, the Department of Health and Children. Most carers have concerns, for example, in regard to supports available from the Health Service Executive.

Deputy Olwyn Enright: It is pathetic to discover that staff in the Minister’s department can work on only one project at a time. The programme for Government contained a commitment to devise a national carers strategy and to introduce a Green Paper on pensions. We are currently awaiting the White Paper on pensions. Is the Minister now saying there will be no progress in this regard until the carers strategy is completed? The Civil Service has grown be tens of thousands in the period in which Fianna Fáil has been in government. It is pathetic that it can only work on one strategy at a time. When the document is finally produced, will it include specific targets and timeframes for delivery or will it be merely a grandiose visionary document that proves to be just as meaningless as the programme for Government seems to be?

Deputy Mary Hanafin: Last year’s budget afforded more recognition to carers than any of its predecessors.

Deputy Olwyn Enright: The bodies representing carers have described this year’s budget as a bitter blow.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: It is important where strategies are being devised, particularly when they involve cross-departmental input, that they are given the care and attention they require. The bringing forward of the budget has put pressure on all Departments and Ministers.

Deputy Olwyn Enright: The Minister is making commitments she does not intend to honour.

Deputy Mary Hanafin: It is our intention to continue to work on the critically important pensions strategy. We are working towards completing that, as well as the carers strategy.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: I will repeat my question. When does the Minister expect to be in a position to publish the carers strategy, which is now ten months late? It is not good enough to suggest that the strategy can wait because the Government is, in the meantime, taking steps to improve the position of carers. That is not the case. The budget for 2009 provides carers with the smallest increase, a mere 3%, out of all social welfare recipients. The programme for Government includes three other undertakings to carers, none of which was delivered in the budget. When will the Minister deliver on these commitments?

Deputy Mary Hanafin: I will be pleased to deliver on the programme for Government commitments as soon as the budgetary positions allows. I will publish the strategy immediately after I bring it to Government.

Deputy Olwyn Enright: When will that be? The Minister has given a ridiculous answer.

Deputy Róisín Shortall: Will the Minister indicate in what year she expects it to be published?

Deputy Olwyn Enright: Clearly not.

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Personal Advocacy Service for persons with disabilities

Deputy David Stanton (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the funding which has been allocated to date to the establishment of the Personal Advocacy Service for persons with disabilities both from her Department directly or through budget allocations to the Citizens Information Board; the expenditure on the establishment on the service to date; if a director of PAS has been appointed; Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): The statutory basis for the introduction of a personal advocacy service under the Citizens Information Board (CIB) was provided for in the Citizens Information Act, 2007. However, having regard to the current budgetary circumstances, it will not be possible to proceed with this next year. The provision of an advocacy service remains a priority for this Government. In this regard, significant resources have been provided since 2005, and will continue to be made available under the auspices of the Citizens Information Board for the development and provision of advocacy services for people with disabilities. Funding of €1.8 million was provided in 2008 for service developments which include advocacy services. This brings the total funding for advocacy services to €6.1m for the period 2005 to 2008. The Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme has been developed by the Board since 2005 and has funded 46 separate advocacy projects. The overall focus of the programme is on representative advocacy for people with a disability. Projects either operate within a specific geographic area or are focused on a particular disability type. Each of the projects poses different challenges, some requiring more intensive work with smaller caseloads while others have larger caseloads with shorter periods of client contact. Up to the end of June 2008, 3,241 members of the public have availed of the services provided by the projects. The breakdown per year is as follows:

• 2005 — Nil2006 — 7442007 — 1,322
• June 2008 (6 months) — 1,175

There was an increase of 78% in the number of people availing of these services between 2006 and 2007 and the figures for the first six months of this year suggest that a similar increase will occur in 2008. The Citizens Information Board is monitoring the programme to ensure that the projects are operating in accordance with the Board’s advocacy guidelines. It is planned to undertake a full evaluation of the Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme in 2010. The Citizens Information Board also provides advocacy through the Citizens Information Services focusing on access to services, welfare entitlements and employment rights. This type of mainstream advocacy is also open to people with disabilities and the Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme is creating close links with the Citizens Information Services to ensure that people with disabilities are encouraged and supported to use the mainstream services where possible. The advocacy capacity is being strengthened through the provision of Advocacy Resource Officers who work to build the capacity of information providers within the Citizens Information Services to advocate on behalf of clients. There are nine Advocacy Resource Officer in operation across the Citizens Information Services network. I am satisfied with the developments undertaken to provide advocacy services for people with disabilities through the Citizens Information Board since 2004. The Department will continue to work with them to further enhance advocacy services for all citizens including those with disabilities.

• Dental Services

Deputy Deirdre Clune (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress that has been made to provide adults with intellectual disabilities dental services under general anaesthetic in the Cork area;

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): The Deputy’s question relates to the funding, management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

• HSE Adult Day Services Review

Deputy Denis Naughten (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children when she expects to receive the report on the strategic review of Health Service Executive funded adult day services with a view to reconfiguring adult day services to ensure compliance with the Disability Act 2005 and Equality Acts 1998 and 2004;

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): The Deputy’s question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

BACK TO MAIN DÁIL DEBATES & QUESTIONS PAGE