Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

Will the Leader schedule time for the Minister of State with special responsibility for disabilities to come into the House? In the budget, €50 million has been allocated to people with disabilities. This House should make it a priority to discuss the allocation and expenditure of that money, having seen what happened to the moneys allocated to the mental health services in the previous budget. It has not yet been decided how the money for services for those with disabilities will be spent. Members of this House have identified many worthy areas where that money could do a great deal of good.

When the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brendan Smith, discussed the new child care subvention here he said that when the returns were completed he would evaluate and amend the subvention on the basis of the information he received. He returned last week and said the Department had received an 80% response rate. This reached 90% by the weekend. We should congratulate him on doing as he said he would.