Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegation for its presentation and I am very aware of the organisation, as a friend has been closely involved with the Carlow-Kilkenny Camphill organisation. I also have constituents who are involved with the Camphill in Hollywood, County Down. I thank the organisation for its work, although these may seem like empty words on this side, as empty words will not pay Camphill's bills.

I have examined the numbers supplied from the HSE. Taking the number of residents and dividing it into the €12 million contributed by the public purse, it amounts to approximately €60,000 per person, and that excludes day patients and others from consideration. We incarcerate people in prison, and I hear it costs multiples of that money to keep people in prisons.

It goes to show where the focus is in Ireland that people with disabilities and mental health issues are always at the end of the queue. We do our best here. Reference was made to a pilot value for money study. Perhaps the witnesses would comment on the value for money per patient at Camphill versus other agencies. I am aware that there are different types of disability and, therefore, different types of supports required but perhaps the witnesses would outline for the committee how the Camphill Communities of Ireland approaches service provision and the cost per patient in that regard.