The public will be amazed to hear the Taoiseach say that his Government has had no discussions, formally or informally, directly or indirectly, with the American Government. I wish to return to the discussion I had with the Taoiseach during questions to the Taoiseach yesterday about the millions of euro his Government is spending on promoting its own image, and to return specifically to the communications unit. The Taoiseach said that the purpose of this unit is to communicate matters from the media to Ministers and himself. I wonder whether the open letter in yesterday's Irish Examiner from the young mother of two who is a progressive MS sufferer was brought to the Taoiseach's attention by the communications unit.

This young mother of two cannot cook, cannot use the bathroom independently and cannot be transferred from her wheelchair to her bed or her car. Her two young children, aged 12 and 13, have to care for her. She lost her home help from 11 November 2002 until 9 January 2003. The bureaucratic obstruction she encounters from the health board means she is again in receipt of 90 minutes per day of assistance. Did the Taoiseach's communications unit bring this matter to his attention and that of the Minister for Health and Children and, if it did, is it acceptable to his Government?

Deputy Kenny asked whether the Government had been in contact with the United States, directly or indirectly, regarding what would happen if there was no second UN resolution on Iraq. We have had no discussion—

Please allow the Taoiseach to reply without interruption.

Is that the question Deputy Kenny asked?

We are dealing with Deputy Rabbitte's question and I have called on the Taoiseach to respond.

On a point of order, a Cheann Comhairle, the Taoiseach asked—

We cannot have a point of order from another leader at this point. Allow the Taoiseach to respond to Deputy Rabbitte. I ask Deputy Kenny to resume his seat.

The Taoiseach asked what question I asked him.

The Taoiseach did not ask Deputy Kenny about the Deputy's question. The Deputy should resume his seat. I will allow him to raise the matter on the Order of Business. Allow the Taoiseach to respond to Deputy Rabbitte's question.

A Cheann Comhairle, you are protecting the Government and the Taoiseach again. You should protect the House.

The Taoiseach realised he was caught out.

Sorry, Deputy Ryan, this is Leaders' Questions and you are not the leader of your party. It is Deputy Rabbitte's question.

A Cheann Comhairle, you are not the leader of Fianna Fáil. You are not here to protect the Government.

I ask the Deputy to withdraw that remark unequivocally.

I withdraw the remark.

The Taoiseach to answer Deputy Rabbitte's question.

The answer is the same anyway. I am only joking, I just wanted to see what the reaction would be. I did see the sad letter from Lorraine Leake in yesterday's Irish Examiner. As I recall, she outlined the difficulties she had with her two children—

What is the Taoiseach going to do about it?

My information has nothing to do with the communications unit. I read the newspaper myself. Lorraine Leake – who is from Cork and probably from the Minister for Health and Children's constituency – stated that she felt the public services had not reacted quickly enough to her and that it was a bureaucratic system that had not responded to her letter. Public services should respond in the first instance and deal with cases such as this. It would not be proper for me to give the background to an individual case. Each case has its own individual circumstances. It was certainly a heart-rending letter, however, from an individual who needs support. On the general point, the carer's system—

That was cut back.

We are not talking about care assistants but the home help system.

Some Opposition Members do not know what they are talking about, that is the problem. The investment in carer's payments has increased by 250%, from €46 million a few years ago to €156 million now.

Please allow the Taoiseach to reply without interruption.

It is totally incorrect for Deputies to say that it was cut back. The means test has been greatly improved and the circumstances for dealing with individuals like Lorraine Leake have been—

I will ask Deputy Ring to leave the House if he does not allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption.

The carer's benefit scheme and all of the other carer's issues—

We are not talking about that.

Either we have a rule that the leaders ask the questions and I answer, a Cheann Comhairle, or we do not. Deputy Rabbitte and I read the article, but there are others here who do not know what they are talking about. I am trying to answer the question in relation to the plight and circumstances of Lorraine Leake and to try to assist that case if that is what Members want me to do. If they want to just play games and use Lorraine Leake as a reason to do so, that is very sad. I would like to try to help in the case of Lorraine Leake. I know, of course, that the Minister for Health and Children will endeavour to help also. I make the point again, however, that additional resources have been made available for the carer's allowance scheme and the home help scheme.

In a case like this, it is a matter for the health board to deal sympathetically with the individual concerned. Lorraine Leake stated that there had been no administrative dealing with her letter, and that should of course not be the case. It is wrong of an agency not to answer a letter and deal with a case. I do not have knowledge of the background circumstances, however, or of the other side of the story.