Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

I apologise for that. In future I will wait until everybody has contributed. I have indicated that a month would be too short but we amended that yesterday. What the Deputy is seeking in this amendment is catered for already in section 8(1).

Deputy John Bruton mentioned multiannual funding and with his vast experience in the Department of Finance he will be aware of the difficulty in getting that Department to adopt such funding. We have done so in the capital area and I hope that in future, particularly in light of the Stability and Growth Pact, and the necessity for three-year forecasting, we will have some mechanisms to do this. We have envelopes for three and five-year expenditure but I know the Deputy means that in this area we should focus money specifically for children with special needs. In the Bill I am endeavouring to quantify what the provision of these services and resources will cost. Under section 13, it is my intention to try to have multiannual funding.

See this speech in context