Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a point of view that it speaks volumes about the lack of seriousness with which the Government treats the regions, in particular its failure to empower them to perform to their potential. We express some regret notwithstanding our best wishes to the new Ministers.

I ask for an amendment to the Order of Business. The Leader might assist me in terms of what Minister should come to the House as we are somewhat confused as to who is responsible now for the roll out of the disability strategy. It seems responsibility has been removed from the remit of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. We are not sure if it forms part of the remit of the new Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, or if someone else is responsible. I will be guided by the Leader in that regard but in the interim I propose that the Taoiseach come to the House to explain why €1.2 million in cuts has been imposed on the Pobal funding of the scheme of support for voluntary organisations. I refer to organisations including the Neurological Alliance, the Huntingdon's Disease Association, the Migraine Association, Muscular Dystrophy Ireland, Chronic Pain Ireland, and the Irish Deaf Society, some of which will now have to close as their individual grants of what in some instances is €22,500 - a measly sum - have been cut. There was no audit, no contact or consultation with the groups and no suggestion that they were not playing their parts. In fact, in discussions with the Disability Federation of Ireland today, I was assured that the very point of these organisations and the vital contribution they make was as a conduit and a go-to point to ensure that people suffering from these illnesses could avail of exactly what they wanted. The CEO of the Disability Federation of Ireland told me today that these people will end up as unnecessary casualties because we cannot see the wood for the trees.

We are callously cutting €1.2 million in funding. It is a measly amount compared to what the contribution of these organisations has meant. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who had been responsible for this, was in the House last night. I do not know who is responsible now as the word "disability" has fallen off the radar in terms of the full titles of Ministers of State. Incredibly, she said last night that she was not even told about this until it made it into the media last week. That is disgraceful. Surely, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, which is responsible for the community aspect of Pobal and its funding speaks to the Department of Health and tells the Minister what is going on. On that basis, we want to call the Taoiseach to the House to explain what has informed the decision of Government callously to cut this €1.2 million. We would like that to happen today.