2026-02-19

I raise the provision of care for those with additional needs when their loved ones can no longer provide this care. This is a source of enormous concern for families up and down the country and within my own community. Families have a deep and persistent worry about what will happen to their family member or members when they are no longer able to provide them with the care that they need. These are families who have devoted their lives to providing care at significant cost to themselves, personally, financially and emotionally. It is often elderly people who are providing this care, with over 2,000 people over the age of 70 caring for their loved ones, 500 of whom are over the age of 80. Yet, despite their commitment, they have no certainty on what will happen to their loved ones, either when they are no longer physically able to look after them or when they have passed away. It is a constantly anxiety and a number of families have been in touch with me on this issue.

I thank Deputy Brabazon for raising this very serious issue. I fully accept that it is a huge concern for parents regarding what will happen to their son or daughter when they are no longer around. I was checking on my phone because my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, is due to meet the campaign group Before We Die. My notes state she is due to meet them next Wednesday. It is really important that we have that engagement as a Government and that we are willing to listen and plan. I can tell the Deputy all sorts of statistics and he can tell his constituents, and we are proud of these facts, but there are other issues too. Yes, we have increased the disability budget by 20% - about €618 million more. That will see additional funding for specialist disability residential places, above and beyond what is already provided. I think the issue is more complex than that, quite frankly, because from the people the Deputy is talking about and the people I know in my own community, there is not one size that fits all. It has to be person-centred. There are many people - I can think of them and the Deputy can too - who are living successfully at home with their family. They may not require or want a residential place and they want to continue to live in their family home but if their parents are no longer with us, they may require a level of in-reach support or community support. There will be others who may require residential support, either as they age or as their parents age or pass on. We need to have a much more meaningful conversation that is not just about numbers, places and budgets but actually about how we plan earlier. Transition points are always really important in all our lives but they are particularly important in the life of a person with a disability. We see it when a child moves from primary school to secondary school. We are doing work now when a child with a disability moves from secondary school to third level. Being very honest, the piece of work we now have to do is that transition piece that the Deputy is referencing. Thankfully, people are living to be older but what happens when they transition? How do we have those conversations in a respectful way but earlier, so we do not end up with this emergency situation? Forget us, as a Government, it is about the parent and we know these people in their 80s and 90s and that great sense of anxiety they carry about what will happen. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, is determined to engage with this group. I thank the Before We Die group on the work it is doing. The Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, the Minister, Deputy Foley, with the support of the Department of housing, the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the whole of Government will have to look at how we can have informed conversations about housing solutions, about community supports and about additional residential places where they are required. I will ask the Minister of State to directly update the Deputy after she has that engagement.

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. It is very evident that the care that these families provide to their loved ones is unmatched. It is not easy for them but they do it, get on with it and do not complain. They do not have a clear answer about future residential places and supported living options. They do not have clarity. That is what we have to bring to this whole space. The State must step up and give these families the peace of mind that they deserve. We need to ensure there is a clear pathway for the provision of care for those with disabilities and that their families know that they will be cared for when they can no longer do it. We need to give these families confidence and not fear. What steps are being taken to give these families certainty about the long-term care arrangements when they can no longer provide that support themselves?

My gut was right there. The Minister of State actually met the group last Wednesday. I look forward to hearing how that meeting went and I will ask her to update the Deputy directly in relation to that. That was to kick off a conversation in relation to how we can have that more holistic view. In terms of practical steps that we are taking this year, €65 million has been provided for new responses in respect of disability residential services. We are going to see funding for at least 152 new residential places. Beyond that, other residential responses that I am suggesting might not be the full required in resident places. That is not always required as well. We will continue to increase the funding to our disability services. The conversation we have to have alongside that is, as we develop more housing developments and more homes for people with disabilities in their community, so if, as you and your parents age and want your own independence and your own hall door, that you can still live within your community. I have not seen enough examples of it but I have seen some small examples of it around the country. As part of our new housing plan, we are determined to have that conversation. We should not just be having a conversation with developers about building social housing. That is important. We should also be having many more conversations about building homes for people with a disability and for older people. That would be part of the solution too.