Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

Before this House agrees to co-operate with any motion being taken without debate, we need some clarity on important issues that have arisen and have been raised here day after day on the Order of Business. What is happening regarding the €110 million assigned for the support of elderly people in nursing homes and the €50 million assigned for the support of people with a disability? Last night, we heard the Taoiseach say he was aiming to protect the most vulnerable in our community, yet despite Deputies on all sides asking what is happening regarding patients in nursing homes who are facing chronic bills and whose families are stretched beyond the limit in trying to cope, there has been a deafening silence from the Government.

Equally, there are serious concerns in regard to disability services, with one of the main service providers announcing last week that it must close its doors to young people born with Down's syndrome and other disabilities and that it will be unable to offer their parents any service forthwith. Some €50 million was committed to the development of day care centres, respite centres and residential care centres — which, in many cases, are offering care to people whose principal carers have died — but we are now told that the Health Service Executive has issued an instruction to these agencies that they cannot accept any more clients, not even an emergency client, without the written sanction of the national director of care. We voted through this money for the purpose of assisting the most vulnerable in the community and we are entitled to know what is happening to it. Is it being raided to finance other activities for which it was not assigned? Will it be assigned for the purpose we intended and which the Taoiseach seems to support, namely, helping vulnerable people?

This is the second time in less than a fortnight that a planning regulation which proposes substantive change in legislation has been put before us with no opportunity for Second Stage debate. It is little wonder that people think the Dáil is out of touch when we have the Government putting forward proposals on important principles and expecting them to go through without debate. The Government cannot expect the co-operation of the House if, day after day, Deputies are obliged to ask what is happening in regard to clear commitments on the allocation of moneys and where decisions that ought to have been implemented are not happening.

See this speech in context