Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this debate and compliment Deputy Kelleher for tabling the motion at an appropriate time so that Members can speak in favour of citizens who suffer from a disability. The well-worded motion recognises that over 600,000 people in Ireland live with a disability and recognises their deep concern that services they so eagerly need may be cut and further reduced. The motion says it is unfair and unjust to cut the services and that we note the pledges in the programme for Government, which was signed over 18 months ago with full knowledge of the financial constraints of the economy. The programme for Government promises to ensure the quality of life of people with disabilities is enhanced and that the resources allocated reach the people who need them. It also refers to facilitating people with disabilities in achieving a greater level of participation in employment, training and education. We call on the Government to honour its commitments, made a relatively short time ago, in the programme for Government in advance of budget 2013. The choices the Government makes will help to define us as a country and say much about us as a society. It will say a lot about this society if Government backbenchers stand up to the mark and protect the most vulnerable in society. Last week, on Molesworth Street, thousands of people who suffer from disabilities and their family members came out to show their grave anxiety and concern about the potential for cuts to the service.

Last year, this area had a reduction of 3.7%. Of that, 1.7% was to be made in frontline spending and 2% was to be targeted at the administration side. That is not the case and it is disingenuous of the Minister to say the 2% out of 3.7% was administrative. One size does not fit all and while many service providers could achieve greater efficiencies and could be leaner, that is not always the case. After last year's budget, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, met a deputation from an example of such an organisation in my constituency, St. Christopher's Services.

If there had been a 3.7% reduction, as the Minister intended, the 1.7% reduction in front-line services would have been €135,000 and the 2% cut in administration costs would have been €13,000. This would have meant an overall reduction of €148,000. In fact, the reduction to St. Christopher's last year was €380,000. St. Christopher's, like many other service providers, has an extremely efficient and lean administrative function. One cannot simply say a cut of 2% off everything will achieve a specified target. A 2% reduction in this area would have meant a reduction of €13,000. The deputation from St. Christopher's told the Minister they could have lived with that but they have not been able to live with the reduction of €380,000. Since 1 July, respite care has seen a reduction of 28%. Respite of seven days has been reduced to five nights. Staff are sent home for three additional days of unpaid leave in the year. All community homes serviced by St. Christopher's now close down on every bank holiday and patients are discharged. This is because of the reductions of last year.

Representatives of St. Christopher's say they could have lived with the previous cuts. I acknowledge Fianna Fáil's part in the previous Government that inflicted cuts, but a time must come when we say enough is enough. This sector of society cannot take further cuts. St. Christopher's is a real-life example of a service that has provided invaluable service to the community of Longford-Westmeath for decades.

Severe pressure has been put on people with disabilities who are living independently and away from residential care or community housing. Cuts to home help hours in recent weeks and months are having a huge negative effect. The HSE is playing on people's good nature. If it takes 45 minutes or an hour to get a person out of bed, see to their personal hygiene and do whatever needs to be done, no home help will walk away when the allocated 30 minutes are up. If the allocated time has been reduced from one hour to 30 minutes, a home help will not walk away and leave the person to fend for his or herself. The HSE is playing on the good nature of thousands of home helps. Apart from being morally wrong, it does not make economic sense to cut home help hours. Everyone knows it makes more economic sense to keep people living independently in their homes than to relocate them to community facilities or nursing homes.

Where exactly does the Government stand on its commitment to mental health? Last year, the Government committed €35 million annually for the three years from 2012 to 2014. A number of weeks ago, I raised this issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, during the Topical Issue debate. I asked her about the additional personnel to be employed in community health and I was told they would be employed in December. The additional staff will be employed in December so that the cost will come out of the 2013 and not the 2012 budget. Does the commitment made last year in the House stand today? Will €35 million of the HSE budget be ring-fenced for mental health this year, next year and in 2014?

I raise the issue of carers, although they are not the direct responsibility of the Department of Health. Carers are the only people who work for their social welfare payment. The manner and length of the delays they experience when they apply for the carer's allowance is unacceptable. A carer can wait for up to six or eight months to have an application processed. Many of them are refused the allowance and it can take a further ten months for an appeal hearing. That is not fair to people who are working for the income they receive. No one would be expected to work for eight months in a job before being paid. This is unfair.

Deputy Maloney said, rightly, we will all have an opportunity later today to speak out for the most vulnerable in society. Fianna Fáil produced its alternative budget, A Fairer Way to Recovery, two weeks ago. Our aim is to protect the most vulnerable in society. The Government will receive support from all sides of the House if today's budget protects the disability sector and the most vulnerable in society and is progressive, unlike last year's budget which was one of the most regressive of recent times.

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