John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is widely accepted that marginal increases in funding to disability services during the so-called boom were offset against an historically low starting point. Budgets since 2009 have brought about a major reduction in health expenditure and, subsequently, cuts in funding to disability services. The impacts of these cuts range from the postponement of the development of existing services and reductions in expenditure on capital items to the non-replacement of staff and reductions in new service development. People with disabilities are now two and a half times less likely to be employed and more than twice as likely to be at risk of poverty. These figures refer to the official measures of poverty. If the Government continues with its current measures, the impact on the quality of life of the 13% of the population who have disabilities will be nothing short of catastrophic.

While the programme for Government contains a promise to ensure the quality of life of people with disability will be enhanced, budgetary measures introduced since the Government came to power have worsened the position for a sector that has experienced cuts in funding of approximately 20% in recent years. In addition to experiencing a deterioration in the services and supports they need, those who require disability and mental health services are also living under the weight of general cutbacks and restrictions implemented as a result of the recession. They and their families are, if one likes, experiencing a twofold recession.

Unfortunately, I only have time to refer to a small number of statistics relating to disability services. For example, 14% of all pensioners with disabilities do not receive any support services thanks largely to cuts in home help hours. The Irish Wheelchair Association reports the astonishing statistic that the unmet annual need for personal assistant services for people with physical and sensory disabilities alone is in excess of 520,000 hours. Further, one in four young adults with intellectual disabilities or autism who left secondary school this year did not have any further education, training or day service replacement in September. In addition, the waiting list for residential care among people with intellectual disabilities currently stands at approximately 4,000. Decisions made this week will have devastating effects on the quality of life of people with disabilities long past the lifetime of this Government.

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