Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

In response to Deputy Nolan, I intend to travel to Galway next Monday and as per his request earlier today, I will meet the Brothers of Charity. While I will meet them, it is important to make a clear point. As the Deputies rightly have noted, not alone was a last-minute reprieve granted each year but additional money was given. Incidentally, the additional money, amounting to €1 million per year, was not something to be sneezed at but was a considerable amount of money on top of the budget. Despite this money being provided on foot of signing a service level agreement, every year there is this crisis and no plan has been put in place. It is both known and can be predicted into the future exactly how many children and how many young adults will need a service. I have every sympathy with families and am deeply aware of the type of difficulties into which they now see themselves facing. It is not that I am unaware of it, as I am, but a more structured approach really must be put in place. There is no more money there. I have been through all this and have made it clear there is no additional money. It strikes me that instead of considering different approaches to respite or day services, none of this has been done. Why would service providers not believe additional money would be made available at the last minute, as though there was some sort of golden pot out there? That no longer is the case and those days are gone. A structure really must be put in place that will give families certainty about where their children and adults will be into the future.

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