Written Answers Nos. 1382-1401
1382. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total cost of establishing the decision support service (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34575/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 26 of April 2023 I commenced the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, along with the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022. The commencement of the Act marked a milestone in Ireland, by repealing the Lunacy Act of 1871 and replacing the wards of court system with a new, progressive, rights based system of supported decision-making and advance planning.
The Decision Support Service (DSS) is the organisation charged with operating the provisions of the 2015 Act, and with responding to the complex decision-making needs of people with capacity difficulties. The DSS ultimately exists to promote the rights and interests of people who may need support with decision-making through a framework that emphasises the will and preference of each individual.
The total budget to date of approximately €37.3 million (which has been made available over successive years from 2017 to 2024) has funded a multi-year establishment project, comprising approximately 30 sub-projects to design, build, and staff a new public-facing State service, as well as annual running costs during those years. This service is for all persons across the country.
Prior to the commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act funding provided provided for the preparatory work required to design, resource, and build the infrastructure for a totally new national public service. Since the DSS commenced its public operations in April 2023, following the commencement of the relevant legislation, the DSS has registered 1,184 decision support arrangements, with over 570 registered in the last three months alone. In total, more than 15,600 people have now opened a secure, verified ‘MyDSS’ account since the DSS was established.
The DSS has multiple statutory functions under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, as amended. These include functions to:
• promote public awareness and public confidence in relation to the Act and related matters
• provide information and guidance to relevant persons, their decision supporters and organisations and bodies
• review and register decision support arrangements
• establish and maintain a searchable register of decision support arrangements
• supervise the activities of decision supporters including the review of annual reports and financial statements necessary for safeguarding
• establish and maintain panels of suitable persons who act as decision-making representatives, special visitors and general visitors;
• investigate complaints arising in decision support arrangements.
• act as the Central Authority for matters relating to the Hague Convention on the International Protection of Adults.
The role the DSS plays is key in protecting and safeguarding the rights of persons with capacity difficulties and enables all of us to take steps to put in place the decision support arrangements we may need to rely on in the future.
1383. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if full-time residential care can be provided for a person (details supplied) as their mother is not in a position to provide this care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34581/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1384. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a breakdown of CDNT data for CHO9 in regard to staff numbers, caseload, children participating in individual intervention, children participating in group intervention, by month, from January 2024 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34593/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1385. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of early years education providers that have withdrawn from core funding in each month since its establishment; and the number of early years education providers that have withdrawn from core funding for a reason other than closure of the premises, in each month since its establishment, in tabular form. [34606/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of services who remain open who have withdrawn from Core Funding since it launched in September 2022 are included in the table below. These figures do not include services who have since closed, or services who have received a new Service Reference Number due to a change in circumstance.
|
Month |
Number of services withdrawn |
|
September 2022 |
2 |
|
April 2023 |
1 |
|
June 2023 |
1 |
|
August 2023 |
12[1] |
|
October 2023 |
1 |
|
November 2023 |
2 |
|
December 2023 |
3 |
|
March 2024 |
1 |
|
April 2024 |
1 |
|
May 2024 |
3 |
|
August 2024 |
6[2] |
[1] These 12 services withdrew from the scheme before the beginning of the second programme year.
[2] These 6 services withdrew from the scheme before the beginning of the third programme year.
1386. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a service improvement programme board has been established to drive the implementation of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026, in line with action 1.2 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026; and if so, to detail all the meetings this group has held. [34608/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1387. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a community operations integrated services group has been established to drive the implementation of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026, in line with action 1.3 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026; and if so, to detail all the meetings this group has held. [34609/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1388. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a national service improvement lead has been appointed in line with action 1.4 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34610/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1389. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a review of the current template for individual family support plans and guidance has taken place and revised guidance for CDNTs have been issued, in line with action 2.5 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34611/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1390. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if monthly national CDNT metrics have been collated and published on the HSE website, in line with action 2.6 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34612/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1391. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a service improvement function has been developed by the head of operations - disabilities to improve prioritisation and access to services for children and families, in line with action 2.8 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34613/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1392. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if each CHO area has developed a service improvement plan, in line with action 2.9 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34614/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1393. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to detail the joint primary care, disability and CAMHS workshop that was hosted, in line with action 2.10 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34615/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1394. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of first interventions for CDNT-waitlisted children that were delivered in line with action 2.11 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026; and if the number of first interventions delivered were below, above or at the stated target of the 16,522 CDNT-waitlisted children. [34616/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1395. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions agreed from reviews of the interagency agreement and the CHO CDNT governance policy; and if these actions were implemented in line with action 2.12 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34617/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1396. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to detail the findings of the review of access to aids and appliances for disabled people that was to be carried out under action 2.13 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34618/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1397. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to detail the work that has been done to ensure CDNT alignment with 96 community health networks, in line with action 2.14 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026; if it was determined whether additional CDNTs will need to be established; and if so, the location these additional CDNTs will be established. [34619/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1398. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if, in line with action 2.15 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026, the CDNT information management system has been fully rolled out. [34620/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1399. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a CDNT national capital plan has been developed, in line with action 2.16 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34621/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1400. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if an ‘interim clinical guidance on assessment of need’ has been issued for staff, in line with action 2.18 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34622/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
1401. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if six assessment of need hubs have been established, in line with action 2.19 of the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. [34623/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
