Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

She more than anyone else understands the importance of respite care and its necessity in the range of services being provided for people in this situation. I know this from my constituency. The crucial issue is how to maintain front-line services while ongoing cutbacks are being made. Many of these decisions should be left to local areas to determine. In so far as the Government is concerned every effort will be made to minimise the impact on local communities. I appreciate the difficulty faced with regard to the budget and the impact it has across a range of services, particularly on providers. This is why the view of the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch and the Minister, Deputy Reilly, is to examine how to ensure people work creatively with the budgets that exist. The reductions being made are significant but they are smaller than in other areas. The question must be posed as to how we reconfigure the service and examine the issue of pay again to ensure the front line remains in place and the services exist for those who need them. This must be the priority for us all.