Ms Mo Flynn:

It is no surprise to us that the findings of the report commissioned by the Rehab Group and entitled "Who Cares?" are mirrored in those of the independent review group. The messages and conclusions in both reports are clear and consistent. Independent voluntary disability service providers operate in the absence of a Government strategy for our role and future or adequate funding for services. Our warning is that this will soon be unsustainable. The people impacted on by this uncertain future are those who rely on our residential, respite and day services and who deserve to live full lives as citizens of this State with the support they need. The "Who Cares?" report and the independent review group report concluded that the relationship between the State and the independent voluntary sector has deteriorated and that there is an urgent need to place it on a new footing. The conclusions of the "Who Cares?" report can help us to design a roadmap which would see the independent voluntary sector working in partnership with Government bodies to provide services for people with disabilities which promote, protect and ensure their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights while promoting respect for their inherent dignity.

Those objectives are reflected in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the ratification of which the voluntary sector campaigned for and which the Government effected last year. We should all be on the same page in supporting the implementation of the convention.

Members will hear more details from our colleagues in the sector about the deficits organisations are facing. Our research findings highlighted that the HSE is not paying the full economic costs for services delivered. Organisations have exhausted their economic reserves, board members are no longer willing to operate the law as it stands and, without change, more organisations will be forced to closed down.

The first step on the road to a solution would involve the Government bodies paying the full cost of the delivery of services and dealing with the immediate and urgent problem of the deficits in voluntary organisations. As we experienced recently in RehabCare, many independent voluntary sector service providers are just a few short steps from closing down essential services for vulnerable people. It is only a matter of time before some hand their keys over to the HSE. I ask the committee and the Government officials here today to consider what the HSE will do when the deficits are too large for these voluntary organisations to bear. What will happen when board members refuse to tread recklessly under company law and organisations are forced to close down? What is the Government's plan B when - it is a case of when, not if - this occurs? When doors are shut, what will happen to the thousands of vulnerable people who use these services throughout the country? As a matter of urgency, the current financial deficits facing these organisations must be addressed by an independent reviewer. Ultimately, the State must pay the full cost of delivering the services.

The second step is that the independent voluntary sector must build a new relationship of partnership with the State organisations. We should be working towards one goal, namely, providing services for people with disabilities which protect and promote their human rights. Why is that not at the core of the relationship?

The third step is to develop a compact to govern this relationship which sets out a clear vision and principles for interaction. We also propose that the Government create a junior ministerial portfolio within the Department of the Taoiseach to manage the strategic relationship with the community and independent voluntary sector, including the compact. We have a responsibility to get this right for the people who rely on our training and education and our residential, respite and day services, all of whom deserve access to the supports they need to live full lives as citizens of this State.