Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The position is that the director was not appointed. When it was decided that we were not in a position to go ahead with the personal advocacy service last year, there was not much point in appointing a director to that service. That is on hold for the moment.

The amount spent on personal advocacy from 2005 to 2008 was €6.1 million. The amount saved on that service last year, when the decision was made, was €1.2 million. Had it gone ahead this year it would have been a greater amount, but it was not provided for in the budget because a decision was made last summer not proceed with it.

It is important to say, however, that the advocacy on offer around the country is being availed of by people with disabilities everywhere. Some 4,153 people have availed of and benefited from an advocacy service. The citizens information bureaux continue to provide that service, but the personal advocacy service was not possible in light of budgetary constraints.

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