Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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532. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding cuts to Prosper Fingal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41908/13]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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541. To ask the Minister for Health the reason €1,073,773 was cut from the budget of Prosper Fingal disability services despite increased service users; and the way this service can survive with this 17% cut from 2012 to 2014. [41951/13]

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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573. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure there are no further cuts to protect services at providers such as Prosper Fingal. [42267/13]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Independent)
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580. To ask the Minister for Health if he will ensure that there are no further cuts to the funding of Prosper Fingal, Rush County Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42364/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 532, 541, 573 and 580 together.

Prosper Fingal was established in 1978 as a parents and friends organisation (formerly called The Fingal Association for the Handicapped), to provide a local day service for adults with a moderate or mild learning disability. The aim of the organisation is to “enable people with disabilities develop their true potential towards full and independent participation in society”.

Prosper Fingal provides personal and social services to adults with an intellectual disability on behalf of the Health Service Executive under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004. Services are provided through a Service Arrangement which is reviewed on an annual basis.

The HSE will continue to work closely with voluntary service providers and service users and their families to ensure available resources are used in a creative and flexible manner in order to be responsive to the needs that present. The Health Service as a whole has to operate within the parameters of funding available to it and given the current economic environment; this has become a major challenge for all stakeholders, including the HSE, voluntary service providers, services users and their families.

The level of funding available for the health budget and the extent of the savings required in the health sector are being considered as part of the estimates and budgetary process for 2014 which is currently underway. Pending completion of the national estimates, budgetary and service planning process for 2014 it is not possible to predict the service levels to be provided next year for the disability sector.