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

I appreciate that support and I know that the Minister is on the same page. Health and disability are key issues for our society.

To add a little hope, additional respite is being planned for towards the end of the year in Cork, which will have referrals from all over the Cork area. In the meantime, a range of alternative respite options will be beginning in the coming weeks across County Cork.

To return to the core issue, we need to ensure that this year's budget contains support for these emergency places. As I said, last year we managed to have 135 new home supports for emergency cases and there were also other home supports. The bottom line - and the figure for which I am pitching - is that we would ensure 400 residential emergency places are available every year to ensure we deal with these priority cases. There are a lot of families doing fantastic work but, as they get older and sometimes themselves have disabilities, they need support. It is up to us, as a compassionate Government and a compassionate Opposition, to ensure we prioritise the funding and supports for these people. I would try to give a message of hope to the many people with disabilities and their families. We are improving the services every day.

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