Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

There is one member of staff for every 294 people in Meath but there is one member of staff for every 88 people in Dublin city. There is one member of staff for every 118 people in Leitrim. We cannot deliver libraries, planning compliance, or the taking in charge of housing estates unless there are people working in local authorities. There is a very unfair distribution and not only are we losing numbers, it is happening at different proportional rates.

I have already had people on the phone to me in tears because of the cutbacks in health services. I have been trying to resolve the problem, and one would think that if there is a phone line, there would be somebody at the end of it. I do not know how many phone calls I have made in recent days where I cannot get to speak to somebody who can deal with the withdrawal of services to children in my area who are on the autistic spectrum. The liaison person dealing with schools has been moved and the service is being curtailed. There may be an expectation that crisis will manifest itself in hospitals through cutbacks in the HSE, but it is already obvious in areas where there is a need, particularly when it involves vulnerable children. There is no point in us talking about putting children at the centre of our attention and considering referendums if the most vulnerable children are the first to feel an impact from the cuts in public service numbers.

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