Frontline services not at risk, says Taoiseach

NO DECISIONS have been taken to cut disability services or respite care, Taoiseach Brian Cowen has told the Dáil during angry exchanges. He later said there were 5,000 respite places in the State and “the budgeting of 130” of those spaces was under discussion.

In a very heated row and amid repeated interventions and heckling, Mr Cowen continued to insist during Leaders’ Questions that no decision had been taken on respite cuts.

“It is not acceptable to me or the Government that respite services will be cut and as far as I am concerned that will not happen.” He said the Minister for Health and the Minister of State were meeting the Brothers of Charity later yesterday for discussions.

But Labour health spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan said the respite centre in Limerick was closed three weeks ago and Pádraic McCormack (FG, Galway West) accused the Taoiseach of misleading the House and insisted there had already been €2.5 million in cuts “and they’re looking for another €2 million”.

The row erupted as thousands of carers and people with intellectual and physical disabilities marched on the Dáil and in Galway and Mayo to protest against cuts.

Later during the Order of Business, when the Dáil’s business is scheduled, Mr Cowen told Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin “there are 5,000 respite places in this country and members are discussing an issue regarding the budgeting of 130 of these 5,000 places.

“Consequently there are 4,870 places in respite that are not affected in any way by the discussions that are taking place today.”

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny raised the issue and said thousands of people were forced to march “to protest at the cutting of respite care for the disabled and mentally challenged”.

He said the voluntary sector’s representatives accepted a range of cuts amounting to €15 million but “because the HSE was unable to control its costs in other areas in which there were overruns, they came back and took another €11 million from the voluntary sector”. He also claimed the Government’s entertainment budget was “up by 66 per cent or €1.2 million this year”.

The money was being spent “for entertainment and clinking of glasses” and €289,000 of it was in the Taoiseach’s department. He added that the travel budget was up €2.4 million.

Mr Cowen repeatedly said “no decisions have been taken” and frontline services would not be affected but Mr Kenny asked then “why are thousands of people marching to this House today”.

The Taoiseach said “there are other savings to be found in terms of management, layers of management, HR systems and purchasing and procurement. There is no such decision and this is not a time to scare people who are vulnerable”. Mr McCormack said it was the Taoiseach’s actions “that have scared people”.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the people who were marching “have not dreamed this up, they are not imagining it”. He said “last Friday all the service providers got letters informing them of the cutbacks that are taking place”.

He said parents and carers of people with disabilities were so agitated they “are out on the street because of the fear they are going to lose the respite care they get”.

He said they believed “the days of having to publicise the circumstances and the difficulties of their loved ones in order to embarrass the Government into providing the necessary care was over”.

The Taoiseach said he stood over his record of “improvement and increased services” for those with disabilities. But, Mr Cowen added that there were “going to have to be changes on non-frontline services”.

He was confident that “those people who require the services on the front line will obtain them. However, it will require change.”