Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. We have to deal with the lack of connection between announcing sums of money and front-line services. There is something going on in that respect. This morning I met the Minister of State at the Central Remedial Clinic in Clontarf and I welcome the fact that she visited the centre. I commend her for making it a low key visit. I also met there the family of a severely disabled young man whose five day a week service has been cut back to three days a week. That is unacceptable.

I welcome any extra funding for people with disabilities.

It is important for that funding to trickle down to front-line services, including residential, day care and respite services. People with disabilities and their families want to see those services delivered on the ground. They do not want to see the money disappearing into the system, which is a problem we have had over the past five or six years. Not only have the families of people with disabilities had to tolerate cuts, they have also had to put up with the mismanagement of many of the resources that were given to their children and young adults.

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