James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand the value of the personal assistant service to someone who has a disability, the difference between the service being available and not being available and the counter-productive result the absence of such a service has for an individual in terms of his or her ability to maintain his or her independence and reach his or her full potential in terms of daily activities and the ability to live independently at home. The measures in question were announced on a Thursday and I appeared on radio and television the following day to assure people they would not lose their service. I issue the same assurance again.

Equally, I am convinced that home help services and, in particular, home care packages enable people to stay at home and are preferable from the point of view of the recipient and much more cost-effective from the point of view of the State. I have, however, made a point that a budget of €1.5 billion is devoted to older people, a figure that is exclusive of the money spent on the care of older people in the hospital and primary care systems. At a time of financial constraints, we must seek efficiencies. Given that we have been able to achieve such efficiencies in other services, surely it is possible to do so in a budget of €1.5 billion for the care of older people and €1.3 billion for disability.

In the past, Governments were focused on inputs, namely, how much money was being spent and how many staff were employed, whereas this Government is more focused on outcomes for patients and clients. People with disabilities are not patients because they are not ill.

We are going to do all in our power to protect clients from any reductions in budgets. I do not accept that a reduction in budget should always result in a reduction in service.

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