Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State will have noted that in my opening remarks, I congratulated the Minister on the concept of core funding because I think the concept does work. There are issues on the ground, however, and they need to be addressed for people in this sector of the industry to have the stability and security they are looking for. There does need to be an ongoing partnership with them with regard to their specific challenges. As I said, that will only be done by not just having a model that works overall and not with a one-size-fits-all approach, but by supporting them as much as we can individually with their concerns. The problem with the financial sustainability supports is that the providers feel penalised then whenever they are looking for more loans or assistance. That is very real. The funding opportunities are just not there to the extent that they need. Overall, we have to protect their place in our operating model.