€10m announced for disability sector to resume supports and increase service days

€10 million in funding has been announced to support the resumption of day care and enhanced home support services for people with disabilities and increase the number of days such services are provided.

The funding announced by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister of State Anne Rabbitte includes €7.5million to increase the level of day service provision and €2.5million to provide intensive support packages for 210 children and young people with complex/high support needs, to remain living with their families.

There has been repeated criticism of delay in resumption of services for those with disabilities, which have not yet been fully restored in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Rabbitte who has responsibility for disability services, acknowledged there was “some way to go before disability services can be fully restored” because of the requirement to operate under public health guidelines.

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But she said the funding will “increase day services by one day a week for over 14,000 adults” and it was a step in the right direction towards full restoration of services.

Mr Donnelly paid tribute to the staff working in the sector and said that “through their innovation and flexibility, many of the much-needed services have resumed since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic”.