Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

St. John of God's has recently written to families with family members in St. Mary of the Angels requesting the payment of additional money every month. One family has paid €400 per month for the last 20 years and is now being asked to pay €195 on top of that, which will leave them struggling. What will St. John of God's do if the family cannot pay? They cannot tell their children to leave the facility.

I would sincerely love to catch a hold of the person in the HSE who dreamt this whole thing up a number of years ago of using the word "reconfiguration" rather than the simple, ordinary and down-to-earth word "cut". Any time the HSE has spoken about reconfiguring something, it means it is going to cut the service and its funding. However, it does not use that ordinary common word. Rather, it uses the highfalutin term "reconfiguration of services". The person who first said that would want to be given a good shaking for ten minutes to bring him or her down to earth and to show that a reconfiguration is the same as a cut. It is certainly not enhancing a service and it is doing nothing to improve things. It is a cut. A cut is a cut, not a reconfiguration. It is not the Minister of State's fault. I do not direct this at him. I direct it at those hiding within the HSE who dreamt this up with their spin doctors a number of years ago. They were allowed to get away with it by politicians in this House at the time who should now tell them that there is no such thing as reconfiguration. It is a cut. Those words are being used by the Minister of State here now because, quite simply, he was told to use them by the HSE. The Minister of State and his colleagues should be telling the HSE that they never again want to see a memo from the HSE containing the word "reconfiguration" on it because it is rubbish. The HSE should be told to stick it and change it to the word "cut". At least then we could see exactly what is being said.

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. I have raised the issue with him and I give him a commitment that I will continue to raise it in the House to the best of my ability as it is right to do on behalf of the children and their parents and grandparents.

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