Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I raise this issue because I attended a meeting today of the Walkinstown Association for Handicapped whose members confirmed to me the level of cuts involved. Three kitchen staff have been let go, a modern kitchen closed and a woman who was involved in holistic therapy lost her job yesterday. In addition, those who were in the rehabilitative training programmes, who had been promised that at the end of their term in those training programmes, which would last up to three or four years, they could move to day services have now been told there is no availability of such services because of the decision by the HSE not to provide funding for that and not agree to the transfer.

I met with a number of the clients, as they are known, and their frustration was clear. They are well able to understand, despite their various disabilities, the seriousness of what is happening to them and the fact that services are being cut. They will miss the people they have become familiar with who provide services such as hot meals every day. Their future is to sit at home or in the residential units in which they live. That is if they are allowed to do so, because not all residential units allow residents to remain throughout the day.

Respite weekends for clients have also been cut. These were a major attraction because they provided a break from the daily routine. Clients looked forward to travelling to various places for a weekend, which could be done at very little cost because most of the work of the Walkinstown association is done voluntarily or at less cost than similar services provided by other service providers and much cheaper than the private services contracted by the HSE.

It has been proven time and time again that the Walkinstown association has given value for money. It deals with some of the most disabled people and most difficult cases, whom other private or HSE services cannot deal with. Anyone who knows their clients sees the progress they make when continuous service is available to them.

The HSE has refused to meet the management of the Walkinstown association to deal with its failure to agree a budget or to announce the final detail of the budget cuts. Therefore, the remaining services of the Walkinstown association are under threat because the HSE cannot agree figures or announce a budget for next year. The HSE says the cost in any of its other services is €80,000 per client. The Walkinstown association provides a residential service for €35,000 per client, which is a huge saving. Instead of cutting the Walkinstown association budget, the HSE should encourage the association to take more clients and money should be provided for that. The Walkinstown association has proven that it gives value for money.

This measure is contrary to the commitments given when we debated the Disability Bill. Promises were made that services for disabled people would not be cut. When the Opposition argued that the legislation should be rights based we were told that was not necessary because the Government could guarantee that services would not be cut. A number of years later, one of the services in my constituency which serves its clients to the best of its ability faces huge cuts.

I presume the same is true of other services throughout the country. I can only deal with the one that has been highlighted to me. It is a scandal that the weakest and most vulnerable bear the brunt of cuts which should not be required.

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