Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The Taoiseach is responsible for today's figures. He led this country into the economic difficulties we now have. He has been in Government for 11 years and was the Minister for Finance for the past four years. All the political slagging the Taoiseach is undoubtedly capable of does not change these facts.

I wish to take this from the point of view of people on the receiving end. I have a letter from the parents of an 18 year old man with intellectual disabilities who has just finished special school and secured a place in a day training centre. This man had begun his induction course but his parents then received a letter stating that the school regretted to inform them that it had not yet received clarification from the HSE regarding funding for new clients who had applied for admission. Until it received this information and agreement on funding, it was unable to offer their son a start date.

I have another e-mail from a 25 year old woman which states that she uses a motorised wheelchair because she is unable to walk. She lives alone in her apartment and depends solely on the personal assistance service for getting up in the morning, toileting, having a shower, making meals and going to bed at night. Her personal assistance service is being reduced by 30% and she is now contemplating going back into institutional care.

I have dozens more letters and e-mails of the same kind, including one from parents which states, regarding their daughter, that:

we are now in a state of panic and are writing to you in desperation. What is to happen to our daughter? She cannot lead an independent life and without a day service she stands to lose everything that makes her day-to-day life worthwhile.

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