Mr. Michael Doyle:

The Senator raised the issue of the regions and the understanding. We are now at a critical point of seeing personal assistance being diminished for future and current generations through a lack of understanding within the HSE of what it is. The Senator made the point that there is no willingness or understanding. It is all getting rolled into one for convenience and administration. If this continues, we will not be talking about personal assistance in the next generation; we will be looking at home support and care services. That is a real pinch point we need to resolve now. Dr. Begley has outlined that we are engaging with it. On a day-to-day basis, we are talking to genuine people within the HSE who are hearing about the personal assistance service for the first time. They have come from somewhere else and there is no structure to support them. It is critical that we get this right. I thank the Senator for his support with that.