Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

There is no way I can make such a commitment, as I think the Deputy is aware. Nobody will receive a definite refusal or placement until 10 July. We continue to work on the matter.

This is an issue that arises every year. I acknowledge what the previous Government did in this regard, but the difficulty is that a long-term sustainable plan was never put in place. This is not something that falls out of the sky; it happens every year. The Department of Health alone spends €1.5 billion on disability services annually. I do not know how much is spent on social welfare, education, transport or enterprise supports, but I know we are spending a significant amount. Equally, I know we cannot continue to have this sort of emergency arising every year. We must have a sustainable plan going forward. That gentleman and his daughter need to have security going into the future and we are working on that.

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