Ms Anne O'Connor:

Absolutely. The group of service users to which the Chairman refers often have highly complex needs. We have agencies which provide highly intense services that require a high level of input. There is an absolute acknowledgement that these often vulnerable persons will always need services and that there will be a group of people who will always need that kind of service. It is important also that these services are often the front-facing services in communities. They are the services with which everyone is familiar and for which many people raise funds and so forth. From our perspective, it would not be in anyone's interest if section 39 agencies were to cease providing services or were placed in a position in which they believed they could not provide safe services. We are committed to ensuring these services remain in place. As I indicated, the HSE would struggle to provide the level of service provided by the section 39 organisations and the section 38 organisations would not be able to step to fill the gap. These organisations provide a wide range of services and are an absolute requirement for the population.

A breakdown of the figures shows there are in excess of 2,000 agencies. We need to consider how funding is allocated across these organisations within available resources. We are dependent on the resources available to us to be able to manage this.