Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for bringing forward this legislation and Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin for his work in this area, as well as all those in the Department and the various voluntary organisations and support agencies who have been to the forefront in pushing for this legislation which is very welcome. Just passing it and opening these centres, however, is not sufficient. It is extremely important to provide co-ordinated backup support for the people who will use these facilities, to give them the assistance they require with their health and to try to move away from their difficulties. Sometimes we do the minimum when we need to do much more. It is a challenging issue, but it is also one with which we can deal and we must do so effectively. Rather than working in a piecemeal way, it is important to have co-ordination between the agency, whether voluntary or a support service, and the health and other services involved.