Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

The main purpose of the debate was to focus on the growing problem that affects the whole community and voluntary sector. This debate is not about a row between us and Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party or anyone else. It is about focusing on what is going on or not going on within the sector.

We all know from our communities that there is a problem of morale for many of the groups dealing with the community. When community groups go looking for support, they find the doors closed or find there is no strategic plan in place to deal with the problems that exist. We know there is a growing drugs problem in this city, but how do we respond to that problem? How does the State respond to that problem? It cuts back services for people in need of support. That is the reality. I know that because I am involved with many groups in my area. I know, for instance, that children go to school hungry in this city and across the land. How are we, as a country and a Government, responding to that? We are certainly not supporting those groups or individuals who are helping the children who are going to school hungry. The official response from the Government is that we do not have the money. However, we know from Barnados, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, CDP groups and those involved in the community that children go to school hungry.

What is the response from the Government? We hear criticism from Government that we are not involved in this in the North, but the reverse is the case. I understand that some €80 million was ring-fenced for funding there, but more funding was provided because of the realisation that we are in a recession and more people want to use the services. Anyone with any sense of logic would know this is the wrong time to be closing down services. It is the wrong time to be shutting down community services when more people are looking for support.

Deputy Ellis spoke about how the cuts affect drugs projects. Why are we cutting services to the bone at a time when more people are looking for help and services? People are asking how much more they must bear and how many more cuts they must face. We want a response on that from the Government. Will we see more cuts? If so, what is the outlook for society? We have seen from other jurisdictions what happens when leadership and expertise are removed from communities. That is the big concern of our communities. People who have spent their lives working with young people and the elderly in their communities say they have never seen things as bad.

This is not an attack on the Minister or anyone else. There is a responsibility on all in this House to come up with solutions. One of our solutions is to support these services for the future. Does this make sense to the Minister of State and to anyone in the Labour Party, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or the Technical Group? This is what the people want to hear. They want to hear our plans for this sector, but we have not heard any of that in this debate.

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