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

The Deputy's question has two parts. I am sure the Minister will want to respond as well. I agree with the Deputy that one size does not fit all. Different issues can arise when people have to find various pieces before they can attend medical appointments, etc. This type of transport is not needed on every occasion to meet the mobility needs of these people. It is clear that some help is needed in respect of journeys of a certain distance. It strikes me that this applies to various budgets in many areas, including this area. The HSE is paying huge sums of money for taxis for vulnerable children. The point I am making about the sort of budgetary control we do not have applies right across the board. People can talk all day long about those who expect us to raise taxes. This is the Department of Health. We do not control the types of taxes that are imposed, or whom they are imposed on. We have to work within our budget. It is as simple as that. The Secretary General is the Accounting Officer. We have to work within our budget. Everyone saw the difficulties we had last year when those budgets were not kept to. We desperately hope to keep to them this year. People can talk all they like about raising additional taxes and securing extra budgets. We do not have those powers. We have to work within the constraints we face. That is where we are trying to find a solution.