Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá sé thar am Bille mar seo a chur os comhair na Dála. Throughout the history of this State charitable and voluntary organisations have been instrumental and central to the provision of essential services and supports. These works have served both the wider population and smaller groups of people with special needs not served by the State. This State has always been in deficit when it comes to meeting the needs of its people whether in education, health care or even the social safety net that keeps food in the cupboard and a roof over one's head. Charitable organisations have stepped into this breach and done work the State would not do. In a better world, much of the work of charities would be provided by the State rendering some groups much less necessary. Unfortunately, the State has exploited charitable organisations to shirk its duties. This State owes charities quite a debt in some respects. One such debt is the proper regulation of charities to ensure as long as charity is needed that good charities thrive and bad ones wither.

In my brief as Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing I see the great work done by organisations like Simon, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Focus Ireland, the Peter McVerry Trust and many others. They serve hot meals to those who have been left with nothing. As Government policy throws people out on the street they have bent over backwards to accommodate more people. Groups like these are operating at maximum capacity but still are trying to improve. They have in recent years stepped up fund-raising to support this. I doubt anyone did not encounter someone raising money for one of these groups over the Christmas period. They deserve to be trusted and this recent scandal has hurt them and other worthy causes.

We like to repeat the line that Ireland is a very charitable country and this is true but we are a country sick and tired of cronyism and people lining their pockets. It is especially galling to see people living the high life on money raised to support children with disabilities. It is especially galling when the people doing it are linked to a party which brought this country to its knees and caused so much recent hardship to families dealing with disabilities. Those who are found to have misappropriated or misused funds should as much as possible be made to feel the full force of the law. This is not just the right thing for these wrong-doings but the right way to try to rebuild confidence in the public so they can donate without fear of their money being wasted on top-ups and foreign getaways.

The CRC, a really fine organisation which has helped so many people, has been damaged by the actions of these few people and we must ensure that kind of behaviour is stamped out for once and all. The needs of service users must come first. The Minister for Health and the HSE need to assess how the CRC can be reformed to provide services and make the best use of public money to win back public trust. The Irish people are shocked and disgusted at the greed and the gross abuse of trust at executive level in the CRC. It begs the question how the board could allow this and think nothing is wrong. It is not lost on them that people with physical disabilities are struggling to get access to vital therapies and other services. The entire management and structure of the CRC needs to be reviewed and changed to ensure every cent is directed towards the provision of services.

In my area we have a fantastic organisation which works with and for people with disabilities and their families. The work they do and the help and support they provide makes the difference to families between living and just barely surviving. In the last five years, €12.3 million has been cut from the funding of St. Michael's House. This has dramatically reduced the service's ability to cater to the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. They continue to do great work but each year they have had to cut their cloth closer and closer. They have done all they can to save money but are still being asked to do more with less. The money thrown away by the unscrupulous people at the top of the CRC or the doctors at top levels in public hospitals would have gone a long way to helping the families of St. Michael's House.

That money might have helped to stop the reductions in staffing levels; outsourcing of its residential and respite service; closure of the service one Sunday of every month; cessation of rent subsidy in residential services; cessation of paying trainee allowances; reduction in transport meaning staff and families have to provide their own; moratorium on offering new residential places or long-term placement in respite beds; and reduction in day services for school and training centre leavers from 2013. When we make changes, we take an extra holiday away from a well-paid person who is supposed to be doing a public service. When we allow it to continue, we are denying essential services to people who need them most.

The sad part of this is that people, staff, volunteers and donors are demoralised and badly wounded. We must give confidence back to all by putting in place the proper regulations to ensure this does not happen again.

It is difficult to understand the mindset of people, not just in charities but in society in general, who believe they have a God-given right to earn huge wages, receive massive bonuses and have gold-plated pensions. It is high time some semblance of reality was brought to bear on these people.

I commend all those in many of our charities who have worked tirelessly to deliver the services we have today. That is the reason this Bill should be supported by everyone, irrespective of political affiliation. Go raibh maith agaibh. Táim ag lorg tacaíochta ó ghach pháirtí sa Teach.

See this speech in context