Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Delta Centre, Ability West and the National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers for being here. As a Carlow woman, I know the Delta Centre very well and work with Mr. Meany and his team a lot. My nephew attends day services there and he is my godson. I have a first cousin there as well so I am very much aware of the Delta Centre. I have met Mr. Meany on several occasions to discuss this and, as he stated, the biggest issue is section 39. It affects all of the organisations represented here and it is a huge worry. It worries me in the sense that recruitment and retention is a huge issue and even Mr. Meany saying he recruited 87 people this year. While I know he has a staff of approximately 250, and that is a lot of staff, as he said, a lot of them, who are lovely and I know all of the staff there and you could not get better, are inclined to move on because section 39 organisations cannot compete with section 38 organisations. That is the reality. As a Government we need to address this issue and we need to work on this.

I have said this to Mr. Meany. I can only say from my own point of view that the service Delta Centre gives the people of Carlow and the surrounding areas is phenomenal. It is like a home from home. The problem, as Mr. Meany and the rest of our guests have said, is when you are constantly fighting battles. Transport is a huge issue. I am sure it is the same for them all. It is not knowing exactly from day to day.

As Mr. Meany stated, current transport supports are unclear, inconsistent and lack transparency. Many families that have people going into Delta Centre would need the transport and they need that communication. Working with the families, there is huge commitment. I know Mr. Meany and his team and all the committee and all the members that work there. They all work together because there is that great sense there, but there are huge issues.

The other issue I would be afraid of is what Mr. Meany said about equal access for new entries to day services. Has Delta Centre a waiting list for day services? Has it a waiting list for assisted living?

I note that Mr. Meany give the figures for respite services. While 66 people are able to access respite services, are there 62 people who are on a waiting list?

As a Government, we need to work tirelessly with these groups to get section 39 organisation equal pay done for them. That is the first thing. The second is funding. Funding is a huge issue because when you are constantly fighting for funding, whether it is for services or transport, it becomes hard. I know - am sorry about this - I have only been to the Carlow Delta Centre but it has a huge horticultural area. They have the most beautiful gardens. People go there and often get their wedding pictures taken there. They have a lovely coffee shop. I know the service users learn so much and the families are so happy that they are in such an excellent facility. It is just important when one has that many services. Delta Centre has 12 HIQA-registered community living services. I have been to most of them, by the way.

All I can say to those from Delta Centre who are here today is that their services are vital. We cannot exist without them. There are families out there that would be lost without them. That applies not only to the families but also to the service users. My nephew Jamie - he will not mind me mentioning his name - who, I think, is watching today, loves going into Delta Centre. That, for him, is part of his routine. It is part of what he does every week. He has his days. He has his friends. It is life-changing for the users.

Reference has been made to the section 39 organisations. We need to work on the funding. I can assure them that all of us on this committee are very much aware of the needs that we need to help them with and of our commitment to working with them for funding, transparency and doing what we can, particularly on section 39. How many times have I met Mr. Meany about this? In fairness, I have been to the Ministers. I will continue to work on behalf of all of them because nothing can replace the vital service that they give to their areas. I thank them again for what they do.