asked the Minister for Health if he will give an assurance that the residential units for mentally handicapped children at St. Michael's House, Ballymun Road, Dublin, will be commissioned in the next few months.

I will be examining the question of allocating funds to enable these particular units to open as well as a number of other similar units throughout the country in the context of my present review of the financial requirements for the health services generally in the current year. Pending the completion of that examination I cannot give the assurance sought by the Deputy.

Plenty of examination but not much action.

That particular case is one that I would place on a very high priority.

What does that mean?

I have only come back here as Minister of Health fairly recently and as the Deputy is aware there was a severe cut-back.