Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)

I assure the Minister of State that we submitted the question last Thursday before I spoke to her on Friday. It was not done to put her on the spot; it was simply that the question was submitted before I spoke to her. I wish to know more about the reasoning behind it. The Minister of State suggested that the majority of money was spent on administration and headquarters costs. Is it possible to get some indication of what percentage of the funding was spent in these areas and what percentage was spent providing services?

As the Minister of State is aware, most disability policy flows from the old commission report on the status of people with disabilities, produced 15 years ago. The commission identified the need for a national body to represent people with disabilities in that report. Is it the intention of the Minister of State that the new strategy group she intends to establish will become such a national body to represent people with disabilities?

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