Ms Kathleen O'Meara:

I will take up on the point about the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. I agree totally with Ms Lennon's comments on this and around the other missing pieces of the Bill. It is by no means a complete piece of legislation. The feeling is that it was produced under pressure and while the pressure was the right pressure, the Bill is by no means complete. The removal of the term "unsound mind", for instance, is not provided for in the Bill and we hope this will be rectified and corrected when the Bill returns for consideration.

On the issue of whether we have given over too much responsibility I believe Senator Dolan was, obviously, bouncing a soft ball to us. I totally agree with my colleagues' comments in this regard.

Reference was made to personalised budgets and respite for adults. I shall rely a little bit on some anecdotal stories. A colleague of mine has said that personalised budgets would never happen because the HSE will not give up control of the money. That is all I will say on this. It has to happen because at the core is independence and choice. At the core is transfer of power to the person and this is critically important, apart from the point made by the Chairman on value for money. It has to happen but there is a road yet to travel on this issue.

With regard to respite for adults, a few weeks ago a story came my way about elderly parents with a son who has an intellectual disability. He had lived all his life with his parents, both of whom are in their older years and who, unfortunately and at nearly the same time, had fallen ill. It left a situation where the son, in his 40s who had always lived at home cared for by his parents, could have lived independently with support but the only place for him was a nursing home. He went into a nursing home where he lives with people who are much older than him and who are not like him. It is not his family home anymore and he is surrounded by people who are dying. It is an entirely inappropriate situation for him and is, in many ways, inhuman to do that to someone. It is, however, not that unusual. This is why Rehab is looking at the potential to develop respite places. I do not mean respite for four or five years, I mean respite for a short period of time and how it could actually be provided as part of the services we make available.