Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I fully recognise that there has always been and will continue to be fear in the community in respect of those who require the types of interventions required by people with special needs. There is a spectrum to be considered. There are those who will require very little intervention and clearly those who have very challenging needs.

For the first time this year, school-leavers were dealt with by way of the services. I reiterate the gratitude not just of the Government but also of parents and those who support those with intellectual disabilities over the addressing of this issue without additional funding being made available. It was always the case that demographic funding was made available but, unfortunately, we now find ourselves in different circumstances.

Groups such as Genio have sought service providers in the marketplace to offer a different type of day service for people with intellectual disabilities. They had been successful in that 184 places were made available. That is the direction we are going to go. I fully understand that service providers are very worried about the challenges faced. On the one hand, they are being hit with cuts from the Government and, on the other, they are being hit in respect of increments that are legal under the Croke Park agreement. While I understand that, I contend that even if we were not experiencing the current financial crisis, we would still be examining the provision of services in a different way and giving people the right to have a choice in how they live their lives. People will have to accept that.

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