Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To be fair, I do not think the Minister gets it. He seems to be relying on the hope that more people will apply to provide the service in September. We are only seven months away from September. Will he tell us exactly how many spaces are available now? He has not answered that yet. What scheme has the Minister put in place to ensure there will be capacity if existing services need to expand? My understanding from dealing with the sector is that it is at breaking point and will not be able to provide extension to the scheme. Current services are having difficulties even recruiting new staff. I cannot see where all these additional spaces will come in September. The Minister is hopeful they will arise. I do not believe that is proper planning.

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