The Government has to look at services for people aged over 18 who have intellectual disabilities, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said yesterday.
Mr Martin, who was opening the Milford Hospice in Limerick, said developmental programmes were provided but the Government was "playing catch-up" because of historical neglect.
He was commenting on the Supreme Court decision in the Jamie Sinnott case. He said there had been huge investment in health and education services for people with intellectual disabilities in the past three years.
Thousands of special needs teachers had been employed in schools since 1998, he said. "We now need to look at the situation in terms of post 18-year-olds," he said.