Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom cead a lorg an Dáil a chur ar athló faoi Bhuan Ordú 32 chun déileáil leis an gnó práinneach agus rí-thábhachtach seo a leanas, the urgent need for the Government to reverse the disproportionate cuts of from 18% to 20% made to the community and voluntary sector, which according to a report commissioned by Impact will result in the loss of up to 5,000 vital jobs by the end of the year. This is in a sector that is increasingly stretched as it picks up the pieces left in the wake of budget 2010 and on which our most disadvantaged communities are dependent for basic services, supports, representation and advocacy. These cuts demonstrate a deliberate Government policy to silence the voices of the disadvantaged and must be seen against a backdrop of debilitating cuts made at national level to bodies such as the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority. The Government is trying to gag all those who have rightly criticised its manifestly unfair policies.

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