Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this important motion on disabilities and the urgent need to protect front-line services to all people with an intellectual and physical disability.

I also speak tonight as a parent of a daughter with an intellectual disability who is a service user. It annoys me and many families that we have to fight each time for services. People in power or in authority do not seem to get it when we talk about the rights of our children with a disability. They do not seem to get it when we demand equality and justice for all people with a disability. Cutting or removing services to people who did not cause the crash is an absolute disgrace. It is wrong and does not protect the vulnerable.

It maddens me when I hear some politicians or Ministers saying it is only a 3% or 6% cut - that it could have been worse. What planet are they on, and do they realise that, for example, in the St. Michael’s House services a 1% cut means taking €700,000 out of the system? A 3% cut is €2.1 million. That is the reality. Recently, St. Michael’s House suffered cuts of €11.2 million. Less money means fewer staff and that existing staff have to provide more services. That is the case with a disability organisation that has reduced absenteeism from 6.5% down to 3.5% and reduced administration costs by 34%. There is an example of productivity. We cannot take any more cuts. Any further cuts to the budget will have a devastating effect on the service. In real terms, a total of 317 people are on the priority list for residential places and 45 of those are in serious difficulty. There is also the added problem of 283 adults with an intellectual disability who are living with one or more parents who is more than 70 years of age. A 1% cut would be a nightmare for many of the families concerned.

Many other groups such as Prosper Fingal are also facing huge problems if the cuts are implemented. At Prosper Fingal in Swords there is considerable uncertainty at present about funding. In the current climate the only way to access HSE funding for residential places is if someone is in a dire crisis. Staffing and running costs are the major issues and worries. Those are the realities on the ground for people with disability. Their voices must be heard. The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister for Health should not cut the services. There are other options and choices because we must build a republic based on equality and supporting all people with a disability.

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