Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers and those citizens who use the services here today. I think we all accept on some level that it is a complete disaster that they had to come here and we have to have this conversation. We have dealt with a budget that did not put anything aside to deal with this issue. We talk about section 39 and section 56 workers. The Irish Wheelchair Association does huge, visible work in my constituency and many people avail of their service in the town of Dundalk. Many of these organisations were set up because the State failed to deliver certain services and then service level agreements or whatever were entered into. It makes no sense that the likes of the HSE is poaching people on the basis of higher pay. In a cost-of-living crisis you cannot blame people for taking jobs but we have now left people with no choice but to strike. I know it will be very difficult for these people. The reason they have not shouted quicker or louder is because these are people who really care about the vital work they do whether it is in homeless services, disability services or for the most vulnerable. The Minister of State spoke about engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. That has to be real. I am always afraid when I hear about the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform; that is where issues sometimes go to die and that cannot be the case here. They are looking after the people who need those added resources and we need to look after them. We cannot go through this any longer.

See this speech in context