Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2026
518. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the individualised or person-managed funding arrangements are currently available to disabled people who require substantial personal assistance; can an existing HSE-funded care allocation be transferred into an individualised or person-managed arrangement; and if not, the current pathway for someone in these circumstances to obtain such an arrangement. [70114/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraA personalised budget is a payment made in lieu of specialised disability support services that would otherwise be arranged or provided on the individual's behalf. Personalised budgets enable individuals to organise and manage their own support arrangements in a manner that best reflects their needs, preferences and goals.
To test the delivery of personalised budgets in an Irish context, a Personalised Budgets Demonstrator Pilot was launched in 2019 with a view to identifying the best approach for the wider roll-out of the model following the initial demonstration phase.
The Pilot was established on a cost-neutral basis and expressions of interest for participation were sought from disabled adults in receipt of HSE funded specialist disability services.
In 2023, responsibility for specialist disability services transferred from the Department of Health to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (now the Department of Children, Disability and Equality), and with it, responsibility for the Personalised Budget Demonstrator Pilot.
The Pilot concluded in May 2025 and subsequently entered its evaluation phase, led by the National Disability Authority (NDA). The NDA has produced an evaluation report that is now nearing finalisation. The report sets out key findings from the Pilot, drawing on the experiences of participants, families and other stakeholders.
Work on personalised budgets is advancing through the development of a wider policy framework on Supports for Community Living. The work is examining the future structure and delivery of home support, personal assistance and related support arrangements, with a particular focus on clarifying the range of support options that may be available to individuals, the differing levels of choice, control, autonomy and self-direction associated with those options, and the role that personalised budgets might play within that framework.
The work is being informed by a number of evidence strands including the emerging findings of the Demonstrator Pilot. A Technical Group on Supports for Community Living has also been established to support this work and comprises people with lived experience, together with representatives of umbrella organisations, service provider representative bodies and the HSE.
