Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

On the disability sector, some of what the Deputy referenced there is very much connected to current expenditure and what we allocate to the disability side of that directly. The direct funding from the Department of disability is into the HSE and primarily relates to some of the supports for therapeutics and other supports. In the context of her overall envelope, the Minister, Deputy Foley, will be able to respond to that. There should be an evidence-base and data used. Something we are engaging in for the budgetary process is that it is not just about how we spend the additional sum for next year, but also how we look at the overall base of expenditure in disability and how we can best utilise that in the interest of supporting the population who need that support and therapy. I am sure she would be able to respond directly to the Deputy's point.

On the issue of the objectives and how they align with the different local authorities being at different stages, some will have local area plans. The Department of housing has different funding streams, which it will provide clarity on in the housing plan and its sectoral investment plan relating to housing. There will be an emphasis on housing and infrastructure connected to that. There will not be an expectation that every local authority will have to have every plan agreed in the next three or four weeks. They are obviously at different stages and it is dependent on an annual basis from what is made available relating to a particular scheme and how it aligns with the key objectives set out by the Department of housing and how the local objectives align with those. That is how it will work.

The Deputy referenced productivity and work practices. At the moment, some of the process that is there is just being followed in terms of the guidelines we have. The guidelines themselves are followed but they sometimes lead to projects taking too long in how they are worked through. It is up to us to reform how they operate. People will follow a new system if it is developed. I believe that will be the case and the emphasis will be on delivery. Some of the wider piece we are doing on risk aversion and culture will be important as well. It is really important to support people in the rebalancing that will happen too.

On the Deputy's point about cost benefit analysis, the national planning framework and local population objectives, all of that is captured in the current infrastructure guidelines. Obviously, different major capital projects have to feed through those as they move through the different decision points.