Latest news with #GerDeering
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Ombudsman ‘cautiously optimistic' ‘injustice' over personal transport for disabled people ‘about to be righted'
The Ombudsman Ger Deering has said he is 'cautiously optimistic that a long-standing injustice' in relation to supports for people with disabilities to access personal transport 'is about to be righted'. In his annual report for 2024 published today, Mr Deering welcomed a commitment from the Department of Transport to develop a new scheme to support people with disabilities to access personal transport. Mr Deering has previously said the manner in which people with disabilities continue to be denied access to personal transport supports was 'nothing short of shameful'. The Ombudsman's office investigates complaints from members of the public who believe they have been treated unfairly by public service providers. READ MORE For more than a decade the Ombudsman and his two predecessors have highlighted the lack of appropriate supports for people with disabilities since the personal Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant were closed to new applicants by the government in February 2013. Details of the new incentives have not yet been published but the Department of Transport has undertaken to introduce such a scheme. It will be separate to the extension of the public transport Free Travel Scheme to people who cannot drive due to a disability, which was announced last July. The Ombudsman said he will 'closely monitor progress on the Government's new scheme.' He also called onGovernment to provide 'sustainable and annual funding' to support younger people in nursing homes through the Enhanced Quality of Life Supports (EQLS) scheme and, where appropriate, funding to move younger people to more suitable accommodation. Following the Ombudsman's 'Wasted Lives' investigation in 2021 – which found some younger people with disabilities did not give informed consent about being placed in nursing homes long term -the HSE set up an 'Under 65 programme' and successfully transitioned more than 100 people to more suitable accommodation. The scheme also improved the lives of those who could not transition out of nursing homes. However, the HSE later said there was insufficient funding to continue to assist many of the young people move to more appropriate accommodation, or to continue the programme. The Ombudsman said, 'it is completely unacceptable that this excellent programme, which brought hope and independence to people with disabilities cannot be delivered because of a lack of funding'. The Ombudsman's team dealt with 4,673 complaints last year – an increase of nearly 5 per cent on the 2023 figure. In 2024, 1,497 complaints were made to the Ombudsman about local authorities, with 218 received about Dublin City Council and 150 about Cork City Council. Some 1,397 complaints were received about Government departments and offices with the Department of Social Protection being the subject of 604 complaints. There were 887 complaints about public bodies in the health sector with 705 involving the HSE and 149 about Tusla.
RTÉ News
17-06-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
HSE warns of risk to nursing home exit plan for under-65s
The HSE has warned of a "significant" risk to its programme aimed at reducing the number of people under 65 living in nursing homes. In a letter to the Ombudsman's office, seen by Prime Time, the HSE said it requested €8.5 million to relocate 40 people under the age of 65 from nursing homes in 2025. It was allocated only €4.8 million — enough to fund just 24 moves to more appropriate settings in the community, including group or individual houses or a return to their family home. Separately, in an interview with Prime Time, Ombudsman Ger Deering criticised funding relating to younger people in nursing homes, describing it as "completely unacceptable." "We've seen time and again where ministers and Taoisigh come into the Dáil and they actually apologise for our failings in the past," Mr Deering said, "this is a failing that's happening today, and it's happening because the government is not putting the funding into this programme that is required." The current Programme for Government commits to ending the placement of young people with disabilities in nursing homes. A similar commitment was also made by the last government. But progress has been slow. The number of people under-65 currently living in nursing homes stands at around 1,227, the HSE told Prime Time. Since 2021, just 104 have been moved to more appropriate settings. The HSE letter from last November also said its budget for transitioning younger people from nursing homes to the community would be fully committed by March 2025. "With no security of funding," it stated, "the transition plans for many individuals will either cease or be delayed until further funding can be secured in 2026." The HSE was granted just 32% of its overall requested budget for under 65s, which includes services to those who are in nursing homes and for whom there are no immediate relocation plans. The HSE letter, written by an Assistant National Director of the HSE's National Disability Team, added that "the risk to the overall U65 programme is significant." There is widespread agreement that nursing homes are not appropriate places for under 65s, many of whom are in homes because of brain injury. In 2021, the Ombudsman's office produced a lengthy report on the issue called Wasted Lives. Then Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, stated that "people who could and should be living in our communities, contributing to our society, are left without hope or futures." Medical professionals who spoke to Prime Time agree. "It is a completely abnormal situation for a younger person to be living in a nursing home often with much older adults who may have conditions like dementia," said Raymond Carson, Medical Director of the Brain Injury Programme at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. "People have said to me how lonely they feel, how imprisoned they are in that context, often far from home and without access to stimulation and support," Mr Carson added. Wasted Lives After the 2021 Wasted Lives report from the Ombudsman the HSE set up its U65 Programme to move younger people to more appropriate settings. Figures supplied to the Labour Party's health spokesperson, Marie Sherlock, in March showed that there were 176 people in nursing homes aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s. One of those is William Scott, a former truck driver who suffered a brain injury after a cardiac arrest in 2013. He was left with short-term memory problems, poor motivation and initiation, and limited mobility on his right side. Now 49, William has spent a decade in a Donegal nursing home which specialises in caring for elderly people with dementia. He is neither elderly nor does he have dementia. He says he feels he is in the wrong place and that he spends his days "in the room, bored out of my mind." William wants ultimately to live more independently, ideally in Dublin where he is from. He receives assistance from the Acquired Brain Injury Ireland charity each week, five hours split over two consecutive days. "It's not near enough" says Gregory Harris, a Community Rehabilitation Assistant with the Acquired Brain Injury Ireland charity. Mr Harris brings William out for social activities – visits to the cinema, friends or family. But two days a week of community rehabilitation are not enough to prepare William to be able to live more independently outside of the nursing home, Mr Harris says. "We get a certain distance with him and in a few days' time, he has gone back again." It needs "to be more consistent," Mr Harris added. For those who remain in nursing homes, there is also the HSE's Enhanced Quality of Life Supports Programme, aimed at providing benefits to those living in nursing homes, such as regular hours with a personal assistant, or devices like an iPad, an exercise bicycle, or a powered wheelchair. The HSE applied for €1.7m from the Department for Disability to fund those supports in 2025, but that application was rejected. So, the HSE has to dig into its overall budget, which is for moving under-65s from nursing homes. It declined a request for interview, but in a statement, it said that its Enhanced Quality of Life Supports funding for under 65s in nursing homes "has not been cut entirely for 2025." It added that it will pay €251,000 from its overall under-65 Programme budget towards the quality-of-life supports. That's less than one-third of the €812,000 allocated in 2024. "If the government wanted this programme to progress, it would progress," Ombudsman Ger Deering said. "It's the Government who sets the standards, the Government who sets the budgets. If the Government decide that people with disabilities actually matter and that people with disabilities are entitled to live the same lives that the rest of us want to live, then the funding would be made available," he added. An Saol One non-governmental charity is stepping in to fill the gap in services provided by the State. An Saol, which supports people with brain injuries, was founded by German national Reinhard Schäler after his son Pádraig was hit by a truck while cycling in the United States. Pádraig, then 22, suffered a serious brain injury. A university graduate and Irish language enthusiast, he can no longer walk or speak, but remains acutely aware of the world around him. "He can understand four languages," Reinhard says. "I speak German to him, his friends speak Irish to him. My wife and I speak Spanish, and he understands that. He has a Spanish carer that talks Spanish to him," he added. Pádraig lives at home with his parents and regularly attends An Saol in Dublin's Santry for therapies. He communicates responses to questions using a beeper. An Saol plans to open a larger facility in Ballymun, including step-down accommodation that could help people avoid nursing homes. 'Bureaucracy' Dublin City Council has made a site available, but Reinhard Schäler says the project is now mired in HSE bureaucracy. "A year and a half ago, we were nearly there" he says. "Then everything stopped." Reinhard says he is now filling in a new set of forms "for the same purpose" as forms he filled in previously. "It's very hard to understand, and it's very frustrating," he said, noting that the HSE is in full support of the proposed project and has highly evaluated the current An Saol service. He says that there is no time to waste. "We have an urgency here. We have the people here who need this now, not in five years or 10 years." In its statement, the HSE said it was "proactively engaged with An Saol Foundation and making significant progress regarding securing a site for a proposed development project. It is anticipated a full submission will be in place for a National HSE Capital Steering meeting in late 2025 or early 2026."
The Journal
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Over 53,000 rental homes 'effectively taken off' private market due to HAP scheme, report finds
A NEW REPORT has highlighted a number of areas of concern in relation to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, uncovering systemic failures, widespread delays, and a worsening impact on the rental housing market. The investigation, carried out by the Ombudsman, found that the HAP scheme has effectively removed thousands of properties from the private rental sector – contributing to rising rents and making it harder for people to find housing, both within and outside the scheme. Among the most pressing issues identified was the delay in processing HAP applications. The report highlighted that in some cases, applicants experienced long waits between applying and receiving confirmation or payment. As a result, some lost out on rental properties while waiting for approval. The Ombudsman, Ger Deering, said that his office 'has received numerous complaints from members of the public who believed they had been disadvantaged by the current system.' Another isue note in the report was the duplication between the HAP and social housing application processes. Applicants must often submit the same documentation twice, once for social housing support and again for HAP, despite the fact that approval for social housing should automatically entitle them to HAP assistance. The report also pointed to disparities in how HAP tenants are treated compared to tenants in direct social housing. HAP recipients are frequently given less security and face greater financial uncertainty. Additionally, the report criticised local authorities for failing to provide clear, consistent information about key elements of the scheme — including how much rent tenants are expected to pay and what discretionary increases might be available. As of the end of 2024, HAP was supporting 53,742 households across the country. Advertisement According to the Ombudsman, this has effectively withdrawn the same number of properties from the private rental market, intensifying competition and inflating rental prices. 'This has contributed to the sustained increase in the rate of rents, which in turn has made it more difficult to source properties for both HAP tenants and those renting independently,' the report states. The scheme, launched in September 2014, was designed as a replacement for the Rent Supplement system and is administered by Ireland's 31 local authorities. HAP provides a direct payment to landlords on behalf of eligible tenants, with caps in place based on household size and location. Local authorities can raise the cap by up to 35% in certain cases, though this often still falls short of actual rental costs. As rents continue to rise, many HAP recipients are now paying large top-ups to their landlords in addition to the rent they pay to local authorities, a situation that charities have warned is unsustainable. The Ombudsman has recommended that HAP payments be backdated to the start of a tenancy once an applicant is approved for social housing support. He has also called for a thorough review of the scheme to streamline the application process, improve transparency, and ensure fairer treatment for tenants. Deering added that an 'information pack' provided to HAP applicants, and should include indicative rent figures, information on the HAP cap and an explanation that there may be an increase available, depending on the situation 'This information should be presented in a simple and accessible format,' the report states. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
HAP caps should be revised regularly to reflect rental market, Ombudsman says
Overly complex processes and the duplication of work by local authorities causing delays to housing assistance payment (HAP) applications, alongside the refusal of legitimate applications, were among the issues discovered by an Ombudsman investigation. Ombudsman Ger Deering said his office received numerous complaints from the public, and identified shortcomings through voluntary housing and homeless groups regarding the scheme before its investigation. Launched in 2014, the HAP payment to landlords was intended to cover the full cost of a household's rent. Due to significant increases in rent rates, however, two-thirds of HAP households were paying the difference between the HAP cap and the actual cost of rent in 2023. Some 53,742 households were in receipt of HAP at the end of 2024, meaning the same number of rentals have been removed from the private rental sector, the Ombudsman said, contributing to a sustained increase in the rate of rents. READ MORE The availability of rental properties coming under the HAP limits is declining as rents increase, prompting a recommendation from the Ombudsman that caps should be revised on a regular basis to reflect the rental market. [ More than 100 families in Dublin at risk of homelessness as tenant-in-situ applications paused Opens in new window ] Among the findings of its investigation into HAP's administration was a 'duplication of work' being done by local authorities resulting in potential delays. Although households approved for social housing support are immediately eligible for HAP, they must make separate applications, resulting in repetition. The report also highlighted the 'overly complex' requirement for local authorities to seek approval from the HAP shared services centre (SSC) before amendments to HAP records or applications for approval can be made. It noted that the SSC processed 5,821 amendments in one sample month during the investigation. The investigation also found further 'unnecessary delays' when it comes to validating applications and verifying landlords' proof of ownership. Delays increase the risk of inability to secure properties, it said. Separately, the Ombudsman found that some local authorities are refusing HAP applications despite all evidence suggesting a tenancy is legitimate, while others have approved HAP where it should not have been. Local authorities have 'broad discretion' when determining whether a tenancy is genuine, with decisions not always accounting for each case being different or nuanced. In particular, it said local authorities place 'undue weight on family relationships even where all other evidence suggests the tenancy is legitimate'. Separately, despite being legislatively considered socially housed, HAP tenants do not have access to the same benefits as their counterparts in standard social housing such as tailored arrears repayment plans. These inequities pose a risk of HAP tenants falling into a 'poverty trap,' it said. 'This unfairness is compounded by the fact that they do not have the security of tenure that their counterparts in other forms of social housing have,' the Ombudsman said.
Agriland
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Agriland
70% of all appeals to Environmental Commissioner in 2024 were on forestry
The Commissioner for Environmental Information today (Thursday, May 8) disclosed that 70% of appeals made to his office in 2024 related to requests for environmental information on forestry. Ger Deering, the Commissioner for Environmental Information, said that last year, two public bodies – the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and Coillte – together received over 1,000 requests under Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) regulations for information related to forestry. The requests for forestry information included requests for monitoring records, license inspections, and harvesting information. According to the commissioner, the purpose of AIE regulations is to 'enable members of the public to have timely and easy access to environmental information' held by government bodies. The 2024 annual review published by the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information today shows that it received 313 appeals in 2024, completed 286 appeals and had 424 appeals on hand at the end of the year. It also issued 168 formal decisions. Environmental Commissioner The Environmental Commissioner said that demand for forestry information had increased in recent years and that DAFM Coillte, and all public bodies, should consider all options which would allow for the proactive dissemination of frequently requested material and avoid the need for an AIE requests. The commissioner also highlighted today the number of decisions of public bodies he has had to overturn. But there was some improvement in 2024 – of the 168 appeals that went to a binding decision in 2024, the commissioner overturned the public body's decision in 66% of cases down on the 2023 figure of 92%. Some of the decisions that are highlighted in the 2024 annual review include the release of chemical information relating to Dublin Airport Authority and the release of forestry licence information held by Coillte. Coillte According to the Environmental Commissioner Coillte decided to refuse access to information sought under the AIE regulations relating to certain forestry felling licences granted to Coillte. On October 10, 2022, an application was made to request access to unredacted 'updated' Appropriate Assessment Determination (AAD) documents associated with nine individual felling licenses granted to Coillte and in respect of which Coillte had been notified by the Forest Service, over the period June – July 2022, of a new Hen Harrier nesting site which overlaps with the licenced area. Coillte refused access to the information because it said it highly confidential and that it only received the information from the Forestry Service for operational reasons. However the commissioner directed that access be given to the information. He noted that related information and Felling Licence Application Maps had already been provided to the requester including through a separate AIE request to Coillte. The commissioner also said that the information that was the subject of the request did not contain any additional information that could narrow down the location of the nesting sites. Deering said today: 'Proactive dissemination of information, without the need for an AIE request, has significant benefits for both the public and public bodies. 'It significantly reduces the administration required by public bodies to respond to AIE requests, while also allowing those who want to participate in environmental decision-making to do so easily and in an informed manner.'
