Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed because she is telling me on 27 June that the HSE hopes to solve his problem. She used the phrase "creative and flexible". What I am told is simple and stark. As she said, the money is given out proportionate to the population in each region. I am told by people within the system, not by voluntary organisations, that the amount being offered is a quarter of the money needed. At the end of the day, the creative solution will probably be to diminish services to existing users and spread the funding among the new people coming into the system.

The Minister of State did not give a firm commitment that in the next week they will either be offered a continuation of service where they are, if appropriate, or an alternative service. Will it be possible to inform the users and their families through me or directly what exactly will happen? Unfortunately, this reply does not outline what will happen. All families can read into it is that something might happen and a loaves and fishes trick might be performed to cut the funding for other people and redistribute it. There is no certainty that anything will happen and parents and service users will be unable to go to bed tonight knowing they will have a service in September. I beg the Minister of State to do something in the next few days to bring much more clarity to this issue.

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