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

We are spending €1.4 billion per year on disability services. Given that level of expenditure, there are areas where changes simply have to be made. I am very conscious that service providers are worried. However, even though we could not do the job without them, my main concern is not for the providers. Rather, my concern is for the people who require support and to whom, in the majority of cases, those providers deliver an excellent service. I acknowledge that families are very concerned about the future of those members with whose care they are charged. We are obliged to do things differently, but I am confident that this will, in fact, ensure a better outcome for the individuals who avail of these services.

See this speech in context