Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
846. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify the position of parents in a situation (details supplied); and if the approach taken is consistent with Government policy. [13994/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government is aware of the case which the Deputy has mentioned. In order to protect the privacy of the family, it is not appropriate to comment the specific details in relation to this case. The HSE has assured the Department of Children, Disability and Equality that the case is being responded to locally, and that relevant service providers have been engaging directly with the family in question. As your question is specifically in relation to a letter issued by the HSE, officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality sought an update from the HSE.
HSE South West has a duty to protect the privacy of everyone who uses HSE services and cannot comment on individual cases. The HSE is aware of the case you mention and is in close contact with the family. The HSE cannot disclose the details of the correspondence without the express consent of the recipient. The HSE advise that the correspondence which the Deputy refers to was part of a more detailed letter outlining available supports and options to the family. HSE South West did not intend to cause any upset and apologises sincerely for any upset caused.
HSE South West teams work to engage openly with all patients and service users, communicating with care and respect. The Your Service Your Say feedback mechanism at hse.ie/yoursay is available to anyone engaging with the HSE who wishes to highlight an issue or difficulty.
HSE South West Disability Services provide supports for people with complex disability needs and the level of support provided for each person is aligned to their assessed needs and individual circumstances.
Specialist disability services focus on providing supports to people with more complex disabilities, to complement the mainstream health and social care services provided to people with disabilities alongside the rest of the population.
The HSE advise that it is important that an individual with a disability or their advocate/carer make contact with their local HSE Disability Manager and local authority with a view towards discussing housing or social housing supports required to meet individual circumstances.
Services focus on supporting and enabling people with disabilities to maximise their full potential, as independently as possible. Current policies are based on the principles of person centredness to ensure insofar as possible that the supports for a person are based on individual assessed need, will and preference and to support people to remain as close to home and connected to their community as possible.
In addition to residential services, there are other measures available to support people with disabilities and their families and carers, including day services, respite services, home support and personal assistance.
Unfortunately, the demand for residential placements across both Cork and Kerry continues to exceed available capacity; there are approximately 600 people requiring residential services in HSE South West. Decisions regarding the allocation of available placements are informed by the prioritisation of assessed clinical needs, the complexity of cases, and the support needs of applicants, as well as compatibility with existing residents and the funding available. HSE South West Disability Services recognise the impact this has on people and their families, and are actively working to address this need, by engaging with multiple service providers to build additional capacity.
The Programme for Government commits to develop a multi-year capital plan for investment in residential and independent living options for both adults and children, and to tackle waiting lists for specialist disability services by implementation of the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-6, and resourcing and delivering on its targets.
In addition to funding ongoing residential placements for almost 9000 current residents, €65m has been allocated to Disability Residential Services in 2026 for new developments, which includes €40m of funding that will provide in the region of 199 residential responses. This includes 72 new planned placements and 80 new unplanned urgent placements, a total of 152 new placements, as outlined in the HSE’s National Service Plan for 2026.
HSE South West remains committed to improving access to residential services and welcomes the commitment in Budget 2026 to fund planned residential placements. HSE South West will work with providers in the region to increase the availability of residential placements in Cork and Kerry.
