Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. An cheist atá os comhair an Tí agam ná cúram baile dóibh siúd atá tacaíocht de dhíth orthu sa bhaile agus na ciorruithe a cuireadh i bhfeidhm sa scéim sin. I ndiaidh dom an cheist seo a ardú don chéad uair thart ar mhí Iúil agus ceisteanna Dála a chur, fuaramar eolas go raibh ciorruithe á gcur i bhfeidhm agus go raibh thart faoi 1,746 uaire á ngearradh ón tseirbhís seo i gContae Dhún na nGall gach mí. Idir an dá linn, bhíomar in ann socrú a fháil leis an bhFeidhmeannacht na Seirbhíse Sláinte, FSS, nach ndéanfadh sé níos mó ciorruithe ar feadh 2009. An cheist atá agam ná an bhfuil sé ar intinn ag an feidhmeannacht na ciorruithe a chur i bhfeidhm i 2010 nó an bhfuil an méid uaireanta atá ceadaithe i mbliana do Dhún na nGall le bheith ar an leibhéal céanna.

The matter before the Seanad relates to the home help supports being provided to those in need of that service in County Donegal. On 9 July I raised the issue for the first time in the Seanad and at the time we were told more hours were being provided for Donegal than was budgeted for. The Minister failed to inform me at the time that cuts were being implemented, although I knew from speaking to constituents on the ground that the cuts were taking place across the board.

After further investigation, through raising the matter in the Oireachtas and through parliamentary questions, we found that serious cuts were being imposed on the service in Donegal. In total it was estimated that 2,246 hours were to be withdrawn every month from the service in the county, and I and others launched a campaign to try to halt those cuts to a very vulnerable sector of Donegal people. We had support from the IMPACT and SIPTU unions, and that led to a large rally of up to 1,000 people demonstrating outside the HSE office in Ballybofey.

After a number of deputations and delegations with the area manager in Donegal we came to a compromise. On 14 August 2009 there was an agreement that there would be no further cuts in 2009 and the hours being delivered in the county would remain at 52,500 hours per month for the remainder of that year. However, there has been no guarantee that further cuts will not be announced in 2010. As we face into that year many elderly people who have lost hours in the past are fearful of additional hours being cut from their home help supports. There are approximately 800 home help workers in Donegal who have seen their hours and income cut seriously.

There is a real need for additional support to be given. The cutbacks were a disgrace and the hours should be reinstated for those who are most vulnerable and in need. This Government has set a clear path of attacking the most vulnerable, the weakest and the poorest in society. That stance was reinforced last Wednesday in what was the most despicable budget ever introduced by a Government since the foundation of this State.

Will the Minister of State confirm that the hours currently being provided under the home help scheme in Donegal will not be reduced in 2010? I would like to see those hours which have been cut from people reinstated but we need certainty that there will be no further round of the cuts we saw in the first couple of months of 2009.