Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for her question. The answer is "Yes". In bringing forward a budget, it is important that we do not just set out the steady state and the overall amounts of money but, rather, actually lay out where the increases are going and what the new initiatives and measures in various areas are that will benefit from that funding, as well as, crucially, how that translates to services that people access and how it translates to where it really matters. As the Chairman acknowledged, the budget last year in the area of mental health was more than €1 billion, with more than €30 million for specific new measures identified by the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and her team. I am in discussions with the Minister of State on that issue and also with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, regarding the disability sector. We had a good budget last year for that sector and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has made great progress in reducing the waiting lists for assessments of need, for example. I know she is anxious to translate that progress into the provision of therapy services, an issue on which the Chairman has spoken on many occasions. "Yes" is the answer to her question. I want to be able to set out specifically what the country is getting for the extra money that is being provided in various areas.