Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom cuidiú leis an leasú atá molta ag an Seanadóir Heffernan ar Riar na hOibre maidir leis an díospóireacht faoi chúrsaí oifigí poist. Tá géarchéim ann i gcúrsaí tuaithe. It is important that we ask the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, to come back to the House to discuss the Leader programme and particularly the chaos that is happening at the moment in the rural development area. I have heard many Government spokespersons lauding the amount of money that is being allocated under the Leader programme. While every penny provided under that programme is welcome, the budgets in some counties are being cut by up to 70% compared with what was there previously. I think the centralisation of the whole rural development programme under the county councils is a detrimental step. In my own area of Connemara, we are seeing threats to organisations like Forum Connemara and Comhar na nOiléan, which have been delivering the Leader programme and previously delivered the local development social inclusion programme. The future of such organisations is very much in question.

I ask the Leader to call on the Minister for Health to come to this House to debate another issue, namely, the fact that the HSE in the west of Ireland owes approximately €7.5 million to approximately 400 social care workers in counties Galway and Roscommon in respect of unpaid wages stretching back over a decade.The HSE has acknowledged that it owes the money to workers and has been directed by the Labour Court to pay the debt, but it refuses to do so. The people in question are social care workers and leaders who have been working with the Brothers of Charity Services and Ability West - those who were formerly known as house parents. This issue affects 400 workers. The HSE has paid in full other categories of worker, including managers, nurses and care assistants, but have withheld these so-called twilight payments from social care workers. In regions such as Dublin, their peers have been reimbursed, as is only right and proper, but it is unacceptable that a Labour Court recommendation has not been upheld by an organisation such as the HSE. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister for Health to come to the House to debate the issue with us and to explain to us what he will do to make sure these workers' rights are vindicated, as they should be. It is unacceptable, and I hope other Senators agree with my call.