Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I take this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I am pleased to have an opportunity to address the general issues raised by the Deputy.

I emphasise the Government's commitment to providing high quality services to all people with a disability. This commitment is illustrated by the substantial investment we have made in services in recent years and the multiannual investment programme provided by the Government for the period 2006 to 2009. The Government's six sectoral plans on disability, including the plans for the health sector, set out in some detail how we plan to improve the experience of people with a disability.

The recent claims in a newspaper article that "for children it has never been so bad" cannot be supported by the facts.

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