Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I will tell both Deputies what I have told the service providers who have been in to see me on this issue. Both the forum and the HSE are working hard to ensure as many people as possible will have a place. There is a multiplicity of places available and different people need a different response.

I do not agree that certain organisations are at the pin of their collar as a result of cuts. There are questions to be asked about administration. The budget for disability is enormous: €1.5 billion in the Department of Health and unknown amounts in the Departments of Social Protection and Education and Skills, as well as FÁS. It is about pulling together all of that. This afternoon I was in discussions with an official to talk about putting in place a framework similar to that in mental health to pull all of that under one umbrella to ensure the crises we have seen, be it in respite, school leaving or continuing care, do not recur. We must put together an implementation plan to ensure the considerable resources that are being spent are spent wisely.

I give credit to the previous Government - I have no difficulty with that - but in some cases the process does not deliver good services. We must ensure those with disabilities make choices themselves. There is a small cohort of people who will not be able to make those choices but the majority will, and we must allow that to happen. Equally, however, we must look at the administration. When people talk about front-line services being cut, why is that? Some organisations have multiples of CEOs. They then divide up into other organisations. There is no difference in administration in disability services between organisations. Why must every area have its own backroom staff and administration? This must be about the person with the disability and that is what we are working hard to deliver. That is why the HSE, the forum and other service providers want to see this resolved so we are not constantly crisis driven. We have done that in the area of mental health and we must start doing it in the area of disability.

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