In about 11 days' time the Taoiseach will share the stage at Croke Park with world figures like Nelson Mandela, the President of Ireland, a number of leading celebrities and leading sportsmen such as Mohammed Ali. The message the Taoiseach will send out as he prominently shares in this company is that Ireland is a fit place to grow and develop as a person with disability. The image that will go to the world outside is that everything is all right in Ireland, that we celebrate and honour our people with disabilities. How can the Taoiseach reconcile that message and say that everything is all right in Ireland when almost 30 members of the Special Olympics team have received letters pointing out that they may not be assured of services after the games?

It is unbelievable.

It is scandalous.

How can the Taoiseach present that image to the world in circumstances where the database for people with intellectual disabilities for 2001, the most recent figures, are with the printers for the past three weeks and the Department of Health and Children will not permit their publication? How can he present that image when the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has not yet prepared the heads of the disabilities Bill?

What exactly is the Taoiseach saying in response to Deputy Kenny's question? The Taoiseach says the House will enact two Bills relating to disability, but he did not tell Deputy Kenny when the major disabilities Bill would be enacted nor did he say if the legislation will be rights-based. The Taoiseach did not tell Deputy Kenny if he was prepared to introduce an emergency Estimate to deal with the crisis in day and residential care services. The Taoiseach failed to answer Deputy Kenny's question in regard to moneys accumulated from the dormant funds and the proposal of the DIRT inquiry. The purposes here envisaged are perfectly consistent with that proposal which was accepted by the Minister for Finance. Why cannot the €165 million in the dormant accounts fund be used to alleviate the stress suffered by many families who cannot be assured that day or residential care provision will be made for their children in the coming year?

I thought I had been clear with regard to the two legislative measures. The education for persons with disabilities Bill is almost finalised. Discussions have been completed and the Bill will come before Cabinet this month before being circulated and taken in this House. The legislation has been negotiated extensively with many of the organisations involved, although I cannot say it has been discussed with every interested organisation in the country. It will be seen to be a fine Bill which has had the input of many people. The heads of the disabilities Bill have long been completed and the legislation was almost completed one year ago. Many disabilities groups argued that there should be more extensive discussions and I attended a conference a year ago at which they asked us not to proceed with the Bill to allow dialogue to continue.

The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy O'Dea, has had extensive discussions over the last year and has reported on them to Cabinet on many occasions. It is our intention to ensure that we produce a good Bill. Hopefully, that Bill will be passed later this year, but it will not be available before the summer recess. The education for persons with disabilities Bill will be available.

The Bill was rejected.

The Taoiseach is in trouble now.

As I have already stated, this Government has made additional funding of €550 million available over the past five years. We have provided an additional 1,700 residential places which are based mainly in the community. The 2001 report of the national intellectual disabilities database, which as Deputy Rabbitte said is its most recent, is being finalised. Preliminary information in the database indicates substantial increases in the numbers of people accessing services, particularly in the residential and respite areas. The figures reflect the impact of the development programme which indicates that over the last few years there has been a 10% increase in the number of persons availing of full-time residential places. The increase in the area of respite services has been more than 200%. The numbers in receipt of multi-disciplinary services increased by more than 300% while the number of children accessing early intervention services has risen by 200%.

The service is being closed over the next two weeks.

I do not argue here that every case of disability on this island is fixed, but we have brought resources to a certain level and we continue to endeavour to do that in more difficult areas in a more difficult year. The Minister for Health and Children and his Minister of State have been endeavouring to resolve the issue of the September figures and the letters which have been sent out. I realise that people have issued letters, but it would have been better if they had waited to complete the discussions which were ongoing before getting to that position. I have every reason to believe the Ministers will resolve that particular issue.

The Dáil will be closed then.

I ask the Taoiseach not to confuse the two Bills. He was asked about the disabilities Bill which collapsed in a shambles during the last Dáil. The Taoiseach sacked the Minister subsequently even though it was the Cabinet, not the Minister, who approved the Bill. Will that Bill be enacted this year? If the heads of the Bill are available, why is the Taoiseach not making them available to this side of the House to allow us to consult with the organisations involved? The Taoiseach is doing that wherever it suits his purpose. When the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government wishes to reintroduce rates, he ensures that Deputies Gilmore and Allen are right beside him and he involves them all along the way. He learned that from the Taoiseach. If this approach is good for bringing back rates, why is it not good for dealing with people with disabilities?

Will the Bill include a legally enforceable right to an assessment as demanded by interested people and organisations? What is the position with regard to the €165 million in the dormant accounts? Will some of this money be directed to the immediate alleviation of stress among the most vulnerable people in our society? That is the question. The Taoiseach's answer will read in such a way that nobody will be able to make a distinction between the two Bills. He has them mixed up. The record will not say one thing or the other. Will the Bill be introduced or will it not? I am not interested in any Bill but the disabilities Bill which collapsed during the last Dáil.

The trouble with Deputy Rabbitte is that he is not interested at all, he wishes to rant on.

He asked the wrong question.

Mr. Cosmetics.

People with disabilities are very interested in the education for persons with disabilities Bill and have lobbied me extensively. Many of the organisations have asked me directly to approve the Bill.

The Taoiseach should answer the question.

The Deputy should be ashamed.

Allow the Taoiseach to continue without interruption.

The education for persons with disabilities Bill is very important for people with disabilities.

What about the disabilities Bill?

That is the first Bill and the disabilities Bill is the second. As soon as the education for persons with disabilities Bill has been passed, we will move on to the next Bill.

The summer holidays are coming.

The education for persons with disabilities Bill will be cleared next week. I am glad to hear that Deputy Rabbitte is concerned about this issue. It was not a Minister who dropped the Bill last year.

The Taoiseach fired the Minister.

I was asked by the groups represented in the Visitors Gallery today to with draw the Bill to allow more extensive discussion and that is why I did it.

It was withdrawn because it was a lousy Bill.

The Opposition does not want to listen.

The Taoiseach should be allowed to speak without interruption.

I have looked at the figures and at what happened over the last few years and I must say to Deputy Rabbitte that, unfortunately, when he sat at the Cabinet table there was very little money put into the area of disabilities.

The Taoiseach was in charge of the Department of Finance at that time.

Silence.

We are now committed to putting in money and we are very concerned with every family experiencing disability. We will continue to deliver to them as we have done for the past number of years.