Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter and I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

I have tabled this Adjournment matter to try to obtain clarification on the allocation of moneys to the areas of mental health services and physical and sensory disabilities in the 2007 budget. Some confusion has arisen in this regard. The impression among organisations on the ground is that moneys that were specifically allocated to certain areas in the 2007 budget did not end up being spent in those areas. Indeed, it appears that some if not all of the moneys may have been spent on other projects or offset against the overspend of the HSE. If this is the case, it raises some serious questions. If it is considered by the Government of the day that moneys should be allocated specifically to certain areas, there is an onus on the HSE to ensure that the money is spent in these areas. Both of these are priority areas which require the expenditure that was allocated to them. I would appreciate clarification from the Minister of State on this issue.

I also have concerns about the sum of €50 million that was allocated to disability services in the 2008 budget. It is essential that we receive assurance from the HSE that every penny will be spent in this area in 2008. I understand there is a need for the HSE to have some flexibility in terms of delivering services. The HSE is accountable to us for its global Vote but its accountability in terms of specific items of expenditure that we allocate is not sufficient. We need to ensure that while the HSE is given the flexibility required to manage its budget, we are provided with assurances that if we consider an area to be of sufficient priority that we allocate specific moneys for it, the money is spent in that area.