Mr. Austin O'Sullivan:

WALK, founded in 1967, is a section 39 HSE-funded charity based in Dublin, providing community-based supports to 370 adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. WALK employs 205 staff. WALK receives an annual grant from the HSE to provide its essential core services. In addition to this core grant, up to 2008 WALK also received additional grants for salary increments and staff pensions. Commencing in 2008 WALK has had cumulative cuts of €3.2 million to its core funding and no increment or pension payments have been made since 2009. In addition to this, WALK faces the additional costs of HIQA compliance, comprising €187,270 in capital costs and annual operational costs of €227,923.

What is the impact of these cuts to funding? They primarily revolve around service-user safety and quality of life. Due to this lack of funding, we have been unable to adequately staff support services and this has resulted in risks to service-user safety. These risks have been fully documented and communicated to the HSE. WALK continues to operate with high levels of risk in its front-line services. In addition to these risks, WALK is aware that the lack of funding has had a direct impact on service-user quality of life. This is most noticeable in incompatible placements of people in residential services and the lack of personalised supports to enable people to achieve their life goals. The issue of changing needs is also relevant and poses a risk to the individual and the organisation.

WALK staff earn, on average, 23% less than similar staff in section 38 and HSE-funded services. Attrition of experienced staff was running at 18% in 2018. This has had a further impact on the quality of services provided. In 2014, the Labour Court ruled that St. Aidan’s, a similar agency funded under section 39, was liable to pay increments to staff backdated to 2009. On the back of this, WALK staff have commenced industrial action. WALK's unsustainable organisation deficit since 2009, caused by funding cuts, has left it in a precarious financial position.