I wish to ask the Taoiseach about two issues. The housing adaptation grants for people with disabilities, the mobility aids for housing grants and housing aid for older people were announced in recent days. Last year, County Kerry received €3.2 million. This year, we will receive €1.4 million, a reduction of more than 50%. Not only will this hurt people who are disabled, vulnerable or need assistance in their homes, but also it will have a knock-on effect for small builders who rely on such work to carry them over the summer months into the winter. Those builders will be robbed of that-----

On what legislation?

The housing Bill.

We do not discuss the details, though.

I just want the Taoiseach to comment on the matter. The Government is hurting two sectors of society by cutting the grants. Some €1.4 million this year after €3.2 million last year represents a significant cut.

The other promised legislation relates to young nurses. As the Taoiseach knows, the Minister for Health introduced his new programme, under which he wants new nurses to work for 80% of other nurses' pay. In other words, the days of same work for equal pay are gone under the Minister for Health. Recently, a sinister development has seen young nurses called into meetings and threatened that their contracts will not be renewed unless they are willing to accept the Minister's new scheme. This is wrong. I raise this matter under the welfare at work Bill.

Many other Deputies wish to contribute. I will ask the Taoiseach.

The welfare of people is being hurt.

In respect of the graduate nurses, the changes that have been made in recent discussions are because we want to lead to a position where young graduate nurses can have an assurance that it can lead on to full-time permanent nursing positions.

If Deputy Healy-Rae has information about a young nurse being threatened by somebody then I would like to have it because that is not the way business should be conducted. Everybody is entitled to courtesy and to have their case heard. Nobody is being threatened to accept anything in which the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, is involved.

On the question about the adaptability of housing for persons with a disability, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, who is sitting beside me, issued the details of the grants being expended and responded to a Topical Issue matter on the issue yesterday. The grants were awarded fairly but no more than anything else in the current economic circumstances there has been an overall reduction in the amount available for such capital grants. Deputy Healy-Rae’s county, no more than any other, received a fair allocation on a reduced basis from the Minister of State.