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

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh na daoine sa Ghailearaí atá ag féachaint ar na rudaí atá ar siúl anseo. Tá mé an-bhuíoch go bhfuil deis agam mo thacaíocht a thabhairt don Bhille seo, atá curtha chun cinn ag mo chomrádaí, an Teachta Ó Caoláin.

I welcome the people in the Visitors Gallery and those watching in and I express my support and that of my party for their just demands. Section 39 workers have faced a huge injustice and a deplorable lack of understanding on the part of this Government, which cannot fathom that workers should be paid fairly and should, at the very least, receive pay increases on a par with others in the service.

Section 39 workers fulfil a vital role in the voluntary sector, providing a valuable service to many community groups and non-profit organisations. For example, in Finglas, organisations which depend on section 39 workers include the Finglas Addiction Support Team, FAST, the Finglas Home Help Care Organisation Limited, and in Ballymun, the Ballymun Regional Youth Resource, BRYR, Ballymun Youth Action Project, The Star Project and the PoppinTree Youth Project. These organisations provide crucial local services and they apply them with not just expert knowledge but great local knowledge. Many employed in these organisations come directly from the local community and have the trust of the local community. Employees in these organisations and groups suffered large cuts to their income when public sector pay was cut. While those working alongside them, who are regarded as public servants, have had some restoration in terms of pay, the section 39 organisations have not had an increase in funding allocation that would allow for pay restoration similar to that given to public servants, who are benefitting from increases provided for in the public service stability agreement.

Services in areas of my constituency of Dublin North-West have already been cut and remaining section 39 employees are being made redundant or are having their hours reduced. These organisations need a certain level of staffing to provide their much needed services. It is not feasible for them to continue to provide activities and services without sufficient resources and staff. The Ballymun Youth Action Project is a community-led response to drug and alcohol misuse. It provides vital services for the communities and families suffering from the negative impacts of drugs and alcohol. The Ballymun Regional Youth Resource, BRYR, project works with vulnerable young people from Ballymun by supporting them in their personal development and social education and providing a healthy and nurturing environment for them. BRYR is a safe place for young people to interact and a place which promotes positive mental health and wellbeing for young people growing up, often in very stressful environments. The Finglas Addiction Support Team, FAST, was set up by a group of volunteers from the Finglas community to provide services in the area for drug users and their family members, which at the time were not sufficiently available. Finglas Home Help and Care Organisation helps elderly and infirm people in their homes.

If we lose these organisations or if they have to vastly reduce the services they offer, where will the communities they serve find alternatives? They will not find them. The groups I mentioned exist because services did not exist in the first instance or they were very limited. These groups and workers serve a purpose. Without them, our communities will be worse off and in greater despair. We cannot afford to allow generations of young people to be lost and families to be devastated on an issue of funding. We need these organisations and these workers and our communities need these services.

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