Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is an incredibly cold response on the part of the HSE. I know it is not the Minister of State's response or his feeling on the matter. One cannot just dispatch people from a five-day service to a three-day service. One cannot speak about a national dementia strategy and people in communities and then cut their service in this manner, give them a pat on the head and hope they will not be affected. They will be affected. The HSE funds Alzheimer Society of Ireland services to an average of approximately 63%, but the Castlebar-based service is getting 31% funding, so there is a major gap in the funding level. As I said, it is a relatively small amount, and it is within the HSE's gift. Considering the amount of money it spends and wastes in many areas, it could find this money and deliver it to maintain the five-day service. The biggest impact of a lack of funding would be the complete exclusion of transport on the other two days. Clients will be faced with a reduction from a five to a three-day service but will actually not be able to get to the service because their families will not be in a position to bring them to Castlebar and back on the two other days. There is therefore the cut from the five-day to the three-day service and the complete cut in transport. The service is being undermined entirely and all the HSE can say is, "Tough. There is nothing we can do about it." This is a consistent response. The Minister of State can speak about a national dementia strategy but these are community-led and community-based initiatives that are keeping people in their communities and, more importantly, at home and they face small, penurious cuts in funding. It is typical of the HSE's approach, which is penny wise and pound foolish. This people will end up in Mayo University Hospital or at the local GP, where there are already serious pressures on services.

I know what the Minister of State has read out is not his response. I ask him, on Deputy Lisa Chambers' behalf and mine, to intervene personally with the HSE to explore with it whether there is any way it will reverse this decision.

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