Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

When I say the RDOs will decide what is essential or what post they will need, I make the point that we are delivering a different service and some of the posts may not be essential. For example, if we are moving people out of big, old institutions, then we need to deliver a different type of service.

With regard to the €35 million for this year, we did exactly the same as last year in that we asked the RDOs to send in their business plans and asked them where the gaps are in regard to intellectual disability, old-age psychiatry, psychology services and counselling. Until quite recently only three of the RDOs had submitted their business plans, so we knew where the gaps were in their services and what they needed, but one region had not submitted a plan, so we only got it relatively recently. It has now gone to the recruitment agency that operates on behalf of the Government, and the agency will put a mechanism in place, which should not be that difficult this year as it knows how to do it from last year.

I have also spoken to the national clinical lead in old-age psychiatry and told her what we intended to do. She is quite happy. What amazes me is that, apart from Roscommon, which we have heard about for the last two weeks, I do not hear these complaints from any other part of the country. The people who have this service delivered to them - the service users and the people at the centre - are actually quite optimistic about the new service and how it is going to be delivered.

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