Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will increase funding to a more realistic level for personal assistants at a centre (details supplied) in County Mayo in Budget 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27843/07]

Jimmy Devins (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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The Government provided over €5 million in 2007 to provide an additional 250,000 hours of personal assistance/home supports to people with a disability. The Health Service Executive has indicated in its third quarter Monitoring Report that over 240,000 hours have been provided yearly to date.

Funding for personal assistants at the centre named by the Deputy is a matter for the Health Service Executive. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot, at this stage, comment on specific funding for any element of the health services in 2008 prior to the presentation of the Budget to the Oireachtas in December.