Will the Minister accept from the figures given by himself in this House that the Brothers of St. John of God had an outturn last year of £11.7 million? Their allocation for the current year is £11.2 million. This is a reduction of £500,000. Similarly, every other voluntary organisation have had their allocations cut. It is far too blasé to come into the House and suggest it is political agitation. We are now at the end of June and he Minister is still meeting with them to discuss the situation. I would ask the Minister what he means when he says he will consider their cases sympathetically. Does that mean he intends to give them the necessary funding to continue the excellent work they are doing?

The Deputy well knows from his long experience, particularly at health board level, that there is a fundamental difference between original allocations at the beginning of a financial year and revised allocations as the year goes on in terms of additional pay costs provided. In relation to St. John of God the Deputy is contrasting the outturn for 1985 with the first allocation for 1986.

Will there be more allocations this year?

They are two entirely separate things. We have to take into account that 75 per cent of those allocations are for pay and pensions. We have to take into account the changing features of the pay situation which have a considerable impact on the allocations. I can assure the Deputy that in relation to the mentally handicapped I have taken very special care to ensure that the budgets of the voluntary bodies throughout the country have been fully protected within the level of inflation. We have provided substantial additional moneys. For example, we have the extra 15 staff at Drumcar alone in this financial year. That is growth in services in the area.

Can I take it from what the Minister said that the voluntary organisations can expect a further allocation of money to ensure that they will be able to provide their services at the same level as last year?

I do not make any blanket statements. I will simply say every week my Department have meetings with the voluntary organisations in the mentally handicapped area. I stress that their budgets are 95 per cent State budgets. The Department fund the bulk of the budgets of those bodies. Each week we meet them on an individual basis. So far we have received a great deal of co-operation and have been able to give them considerable assistance. I am not making blanket statements because unfortunately in the old days, and I refer to the Deputy's party, when anybody turned up at the door of the Custom House looking for a few bob, they were just asked what they wanted and off they went. It is different now.

The Minister is a despicable person.

The Minister is laughing at the disadvantaged.

Deputy Fitzgerald, a final supplementary.

That is the way it happened.

The Minister is abolishing the health service.

In view of the cynical——

Deputy Fitzgerald without interruption.

In view of the aloofness which the Minister seems to be suffering from in relation to the plight of the most unfortunate and vulnerable section of our community, could I ask the Minister to give an unequivocal assurance to this House that all aspects of necessary funding to this organisation and other non-statutory agencies will be considered and favourably responded to, to take account to the plight of these people which has been submitted to him in documents from St. Michael's House and their support staffs and parents? Otherwise the Minister and the Government will stand indicated for criminality.

The Deputy and his colleagues should respect the need for services for those who are mentally and physically handicapped in our community. Politicians should refrain from exploiting their needs in Dáil Éireann. I do not give blanket assurances.

It would be lovely if we did not have the right to question. We have the right to question. The Minister is seeking to take away that right from us.

The Minister is not denying the Deputies any right.

I detect a kind of arrogance from the Minister which seems to be a recurrence of the type of attitude we got from other Ministers in the past.

Deputy Leonard.

Total arrogance.

I do not believe in climbing on bandwagons.

The Minister will be on some bandwagon the next time.

I can hold my head up high, which is more than the Deputy can do.

The Minister is a disaster and everyone in the country knows it.

Do not provoke me, Deputy.

The Minister is a cynical disaster. I am talking the truth.

That is the usual rhetoric from Deputy Haughey. He has nothing else to contribute.

The Minister is regarded with total distaste in the health services.

More rhetoric. Keep it up Deputy. The Deputy has nothing else to contribute.

The Minister knows he is wrong.