Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on a submission (details supplied); her plans to address this submission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37035/08]

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, it is custom and practice for a number of organisations, including those in the disability sector, to forward submissions to the relevant Ministers and their Departments both in the run up to and following each Budget. Budget 2009 was framed against the background of challenging economic circumstances. Almost €1 billion is provided each year to non-statutory providers of disability services. In line with the efficiency measures being taken elsewhere in the health system, an efficiency reduction of 1% will be applied to the allocations of non-statutory disability agencies for 2009. It is envisaged that efficiencies will be achieved in non-frontline areas such as advertising, PR, travel and subsistence and management/administrative payroll costs.

The Office for Disability and Mental Health will also be conducting a review in 2009 of non-statutory agencies which provide services for persons with disabilities, which will consider issues of structure, overheads, and coherence of and synergies within the sector with a view to assessing the scope for further efficiencies. This exercise will be undertaken with our focus at all times on the needs of those that we serve. In Budget 2009, an additional €10m was allocated to the HSE. This funding will provide for 125 additional therapy posts in the disability and mental health services, targeted at children of school going age. 90 of these additional 125 posts will be provided in the disability service area.