Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I rise today to speak for those who have no voice for themselves. Last week I raised with the Taoiseach the consequence of Government action in not controlling costs. We now have a situation in which thousands of people - members of families - are forced today to march on this House to protest at the cutting of respite care for the disabled and mentally challenged. Last week the Taoiseach defended his decision. I have considered his reply and I fundamentally reject it.

Last year the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies, an association of organisations providing health care services in the voluntary sector, sat down with the Health Service Executive. It faced up to its responsibility in this time of national crisis and agreed on a range of cuts amounting to €15 million, plus all the reductions in public sector pay and so on. The federation said to its constituent members around the country that because this was a time of national crisis, it was prepared to face up to its responsibility and take its fair share of cuts. Then, because the HSE was unable to control its costs in other areas in which there were overruns, it came back and took another €11 million from the voluntary sector. This is what is causing the problem. It is causing thousands of families to march today for their loved ones who have no voice and cannot speak for themselves.

The Taoiseach defended this position last week. The report of the special group on public service numbers and expenditure programmes outlines so many ways in which the Government could have taken different decisions, thus ensuring that the services provided to those with disabilities, particularly respite care, could continue. For example, the report points out a possible saving of €154 million through rationalisation of State agencies. In the Vote of the Department of Health and Children alone, savings of €1.2 billion could have been made by choosing from a menu of options. However, the Government has allowed a situation to develop in which an extra €11 million has been savagely cut from these organisations by the HSE, with the consequence-----

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