Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are providing additional resources all the time for the health service and people with disabilities. Obviously, we need to establish what additional resources may be required to implement the report in full and apply it to other similar cases. Certainly that is what we intend to do. Sometimes, even when we provide financial resources, we can have difficulty in finding staff. That is something on which we will continue to work and improve. I will offer one small example in the provision of special needs assistants. There are now approximately 14,000 in the State. We have more special needs assistants than gardaí or doctors. Some seven or eight years ago that would not have been the case. It is one small example of the Government meeting its commitment to provide people with disabilities with the opportunity they deserve to be equal citizens of the State.

I have discussed the matter of section 39 agencies before with Deputy Gerry Adams. I have answered in the House the question of how we intend to proceed in dealing with it.

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