Sir, – I strongly agree with the statement in Prof Gerard Quinn's recent letter that "putting new people into existing or new residential services is most assuredly not the right way forward" (June 13th).
Prof Quinn queries whether my recent announcement of additional funding for residential services could refer to the creation or continuation of institutional living for people with disabilities. This is expressly not the case.
In fact, the Programme for Government contains a commitment to continue to move people with disabilities out of congregated settings (defined as where 10 or more people reside in a single living unit or are campus based), to enable them to live more independent lives and to be included in the community.
Currently, about 2,725 people live in congregated settings, and our objective is to reduce this figure by a third by 2021, and ultimately to eliminate all congregated settings. We already have achieved a significant reduction on the 2008 figures, when 4,000 individuals with disabilities lived in congregated settings.
In line with the 2011 report Time to Move on from Congregated Settings – A Strategy for Community Inclusion, my view and the policy of this Government are that where people with a disability choose to live together, home-sharing arrangements should be confined to no more than four residents in total. Significant resources have been allocated to expedite this policy.
The residential placements for which I have obtained additional funding are for use in emergency situations where existing accommodation is no longer suitable. An example of this would be when an elderly parent is no longer in a position to care for a person in their forties or fifties, and this is a scenario I am very familiar with.
I am determined to continue my work to secure and provide the necessary supports in order that people with disabilities may lead more independent lives. – Yours, etc,
FINIAN McGRATH TD,
Minister of State
for Disability Issues,
Department of Health,
Hawkins House, Dublin 2.