John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

My concern about personal assistants is that the information I was given in the response is shy of the information I sought. I know that the information I sought is available in the HSE. It relates to the HSE's key performance indicators for service planning for 2017. I will not go through the litany again, but it concludes with a figure of more than 2,000 for people receiving personal assistance. However, almost 1,000 of them are receiving between one and five hours per week. A small number, 67, are in receipt of more than 60 hours per week. I asked how many people have one whole-time equivalent or more. It is curious that I was not given that precise information in the reply. Is there a reticence to say what is happening with that PA budget? It is hard to believe that 1,000 of the just over 2,000 people who receive support are getting less than six hours per week. That is clearly not, by any measure, a personal assistance service that would seek to do what is set out in the reply with regard to self determination and the ability to be out and about. That is an issue.