Ms Kathleen O'Meara:

As Deputy Kelly said, there is a crisis and it is really welcome to hear that this is recognised by the members here today. It needs to be recognised, as Deputy Kelly stated, by the Department and, in particular, by the Minister. Actions need to be taken. As we speak, the house is falling down right around us. It will not be built again unless action is taken. We have a great deal of analysis, recommendations and we have put our figures in front of members. It is urgent that action be taken. What we need is a commitment from the Minister and from the Government, because the Department that has not been mentioned today is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. There was a reference to the change in the relationship from partnership to command and control. We have identified in our report that the change in culture has been driven very much by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, but obviously it is Government policy and a cultural issue. That needs to change.

In the short term, there is a crisis. First, it must be recognised that there is crisis. We must admit there is a funding problem, because without the funding the house will fall down, as we know. Let us get some scaffolding in place to hold it up.