James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their comments and reiterate what my Minister of State has said. We know that the scheme cannot continue in its current form and that we must find a solution. She also said that if the solution were easy, we would have found it some time back. As Deputy Boyd Barrett has said, the problem was first uncovered in 2008 and 2009. It has not been ignored by us. We have wrestled with it and come up with solutions, as the Minister of State has said, only to find that they do not meet the standard required either. I agree that we must examine the problem with new eyes and we hope that the fresh eyes of this committee will help us today. Of course, we will engage with those who are service users and have a much greater understanding of their needs than we will ever have. We must ensure that the solution delivers for those who need support and assistance. It must also be realistic in its affordability and within the law. Those are the parameters that we strive to meet. The process has been difficult but we will try to expedite it and bring it to a head in the best way we possibly can. As Deputy Mathews said, fairness and compassion must be at the heart of what we are doing in order to look after those who need the service and for whom it makes such a great difference to their daily lives.