Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I reassure the Deputy that the definition and the 65 amendments to the Health Act are granular. The reason is to ensure the protection within the Health Act recognises the transfer of certain functions from the Department of Health and the roles and responsibilities of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. I am reassured that we have left no stone unturned to ensure that when disability is transferred, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth will have the same functions and access as the Minister for Health currently does with regard to disability and nothing will be left behind. What we are doing is what I have been doing for the past 18 months, namely, straddling the two Departments. While it has been slow in coming, although perhaps the legislation came very quickly, it gave me the opportunity to see where it is totally interwoven and where there could be slippage between the two stools, as the Deputy mentioned. The Deputy will see as we proceed through the amendments, particularly those relating to the memorandum of understanding, that we have ensured there is no misunderstanding, nothing is left behind and, at all stages, we have a safety net.