Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs
Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Further Revised)
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In a nutshell, I acknowledge the work the Rainbow Club does and the universal interventions it provides every week to 1,134 families. I cannot applaud it enough. I understand what the Deputy is saying about the grant of €55,000 it receives to deliver the Saturday club. I know it has capacity to support. To be honest, when a service is good, we should support it. We need good models and the Rainbow Club is a good model. There is no one on this side of the room who has never heard of the Rainbow Club. Every one of the officials here understands the Rainbow Club and knows the value of what it does. Bernard Gloster and Fergus Finlay are aware of it and its value and importance of the Rainbow Club and other clubs around the country were discussed at a board meeting very recently. We need to look at different models. The needs within the area of disability have changed. We need the HSE to support that changing delivery need in its funding model. The issue of the outstanding bill for the first quarter of this year that has not been paid has been raised with the HSE. The Rainbow Club has not been paid for January, February and March of this year and that is not acceptable.