Minister Rabbitte confirms timeline for delivery of 9 new respite houses for people with disabilities

"One of my key commitments over the past 12 months has been to bolster the level of respite in all its forms for children with disabilities across the country. Part of this was a commitment to provide funding to the HSE to develop an additional high-quality, respite centre in each Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO). I am delighted to announce today the progress made in delivering each of these over the course of the next six months.

"I am particularly pleased to announce that CHO Dublin North City and County Disability Services will open “The Hamlet” based in Swords, Co Dublin, in September 2021. The Hamlet is a bespoke house developed to provide specialist respite services to children and families in the area and is an exciting and welcome addition to existing respite services for people with disabilities.

"I have met with many service users, families, and providers, and know how important respite can be for relieving pressure and increasing quality of life. That is why I secured an additional €5m in Budget 2021 to specifically enhance respite provision for people with a disability and their families.

"I also ensured that the full year allocation was available from January 2021, which allows for time-related savings to be used on a once-off basis to enhance existing respite provision or to provide alternative and outreach respite. My goal is to ensure that the full allocation made available from January 2021 is used to enhance respite provision in all forms.

"I am very grateful to the hard work of the HSE who, in addition to facing time challenges associated with procurement, were facing unprecedented difficulties around the COVID-19 surge earlier this year, coupled with the need to prioritise the vaccination rollout, as well as dealing with the impact of the criminal cyber-attack on HSE systems and communications."

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