Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
113. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of respite hours provided to families in Mayo in the past year; the measures her Department is taking to provide additional capacity, in view of the increasing waiting lists for these services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13284/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe development of respite services is a vital support to people with a disability and their families. The HSE and its funded Agencies provide respite care to both children and adults with disabilities in a variety of settings for various lengths of time, depending on the needs of the individual service user and their family or carer, and according to available resources.
Respite is not always centre-based and can be provided in a number of ways including In-Home, Home-to-Home or Family Support. As a vital part of the continuum of services for families, respite potentially helps prevent out-of-home full-time residential placements, preserves the family unit, and supports family stability.
The number of respite sessions delivered in Mayo in 2025 are as follows:
- No. of overnights (with or without day respite) accessed by people with a disability - 7053
- No. of day only respite sessions accessed by people with a disability - 5894
- No. of people with a disability in receipt of respite of receipt services (ID./ Autism & Physical & Sensory Disability) – 473
It is important to note that the HSE does not track respite sessions by the hour. Overnights and day-only respite services are tracked by the session, which may encompass a respite service extending from one hour to more.
Budget 2026 saw €25m allocated to the HSE for new respite developments. In their National Service Plan (NSP) for 2026, the HSE has committed to investing new development funding in the expansion of respite services, ensuring equitable access across all regions and a mix of centre-based, in home, overnight and alternative respite options. The HSE anticipates that in the region of 500 more children and adults with a disability will receive respite sessions both centre based and alternative within their community in 2026 (representing a 7% increase on last year).
The HSE National Service Plan outlines that funding will support the expansion of new and enhanced centre-based respite services, increasing capacity in existing centres to reduce waiting times and improving access for people requiring high levels of support.
Alternative and flexible respite models will be supported, including after-school hubs, weekend day respite and the expansion of community-based programmes such as outreach clubs.
It is anticipated HSE National Guidelines for Home Sharing services will be launched in 2026 and there will be further development of associated governance and monitoring frameworks to ensure quality and safeguarding, supporting the future expansion of home sharing services.
The HSE also undertook an audit of the capacity and provision of respite services across all Health Regions, in Quarter four of 2025, which will assist to inform the future expansion of services and policy development in this area.
Funding has been secured from the National Service Plan for shared care services. This funding will be allocated to provide support for more complex cases. This will, in turn, increase capacity in other respite houses, freeing up space or staff that may be used for others. The allocation of respite beds is based on a number of different requirements. Factors such as complexity of need, staffing ratios, and compatibility with other clients can vary significantly and can impact whether or not a respite centre is used to its full capacity.
The HSE has indicated that there are a number of respite developments planned in Mayo in 2026.
Works have just begun on a capital project which will move a respite house to a more suitable location while also increasing capacity.
Funding has been secured for a complex residential placement which will bring a full respite house back into use.
Funding has also been made available to facilitate a new initiative for outreach respite which involves a 12-week programme that will be run 3 times throughout the year.
