Claire Kerrane: Demand for Guaranteed Respite Ahead of Budget
Claire Kerrane urged the government to guarantee consistent respite care ahead of the budget, warning that current funding cycles leave carers and loved ones on rolling waiting lists. She highlighted that in County Roscommon 120 people are waiting for day and overnight respite and called for multi-annual funding to avoid early long-term residential care.
Respite need raised
Claire Kerrane put respite services at the centre of her address, stressing that breaks for carers and those they care for must be reliable. She argued that ad-hoc year-to-year funding forces service providers to choose who receives respite and who must wait.
Local impact
Kerrane drew attention to County Roscommon, where she said 120 people remain on waiting lists for both day and overnight respite. She framed the issue as not only a quality-of-life concern for families but also a cost issue for the wider health and social care system.
Budget and funding
Speaking ahead of the budget, Kerrane asked ministers to consider multi-annual funding for respite to provide certainty for providers and families. She said sustained funding could prevent unnecessary transitions into long-term residential care.
Government response
The Taoiseach replied that respite should be enhanced and noted an extra 600 million was allocated to disability services in the last budget to help consolidate Section 38 providers. He also referenced a protocol between the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Disability to prioritise people with disabilities on housing lists and reserve a quota of social housing for them.
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Go raibh maith agus Ciann Comhairle, Taoiseach, for carers and for the loved ones that they care for, respite is really important. I don't think it should be beyond us not to ensure that respite is guaranteed and consistent rather than have a situation where service providers go from year to year to year with a list looking at people in terms of who they can give respite to and who they won't be able to or be in a position to due to funding. In County Roscommon alone we have 120 people on a waiting list for respite both day and overnight. So ahead of the budget I just want to ask that respite will be looked at. It's not only the break for the loved one and the carer, but also should avoid the need for long-term residential care sooner than perhaps it would be otherwise. So I want to ask that respite will be looked at and perhaps on a more multi-annual purpose in terms of the funding for it. Thank you. Thank you, Taoiseach. Certainly, thank you for raising the issue and I do agree that respite needs to be enhanced and in the last budget an extra 600 million was given to disability services which has at least helped consolidate a lot of the Section 38 and providers more generally. The Minister for Housing has met with the Minister for Disability. They've agreed a protocol that local authorities now have to prioritise people with disability for housing and that a quota of all social housing would be reserved for people with disabilities and that they would have a priority on housing lists. So that from respite to residential you will see a far more proactive approach and I agree with you on that.
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