Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government has a chapter of extensive commitments from the Government to people with disabilities, particularly to provide them with access to the maximum supports necessary for them to participate fully in society. Against that background, members of the visually impaired and blind community in the south-east Dublin region, basically from east Wicklow up through Dún Laoghaire to Ringsend, were shocked and distraught to discover that the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, NCBI, which is mainly funded by the HSE, intends to close down its office in Dún Laoghaire. I was protesting with them on Friday and some of them believe they will be lost, isolated and left with nothing in terms of the brilliant supports that are provided by the NCBI if this office closes. They have been told that the only option is to travel to Tallaght or Drumcondra, which will be impossible for many of these service users. Will the Taoiseach contact the HSE about this? If this NCBI office closes down this will be the only HSE community healthcare organisation, CHO, area in the country that will be without an NCBI office. It cannot be allowed to close down.

See this speech in context