The Minister for Finance, Mr Cowen, was correct in his Budget speech when he said the needs of people with disabilities had been relegated to the end of the Government's queue for resources over many years.
t was a shameful and shoddy approach. Because of that, the Minister must be complimented on his efforts to redress the situation by allocating a €900 million funding package to this sector between 2006 and 2009, along with increased financial resources for next year.
By any yardstick, Mr Cowen's response to one of the most neglected groups in society has been generous. It complements the efforts he made as minister for health, four years ago, to establish a data base and investment programme in order to address the needs of persons with intellectual disability. And its political importance, as a core element in the Government's caring image, was emphasised when it absorbed one-quarter of the Minister's entire speech.
Of course it didn't satisfy everyone. And it didn't reflect a Pauline conversion by the Government to the difficult and expensive cause of social justice. It was a political response to the growing effectiveness of the disability lobby, following successful high-profile court cases by Jamie Sinnott and Paul O'Donoghue. It was also an effort to short-circuit criticism of the Disability Bill.
Those voluntary bodies that have been struggling for years to provide services without adequate funding or official support have understandable concerns that the Government's generosity may not last. They would like to be the recipients of the kind of 10-year development programme the Minister has promised for transport infrastructure. They know that up to two-thirds of extra resources will be absorbed by staffing costs. And they realise the allocation for next year will have little impact on waiting lists for day or residential care services.
In spite of those reservations and funding inadequacies, Mr Cowen has responded positively to the outpouring of public goodwill towards people with disabilities that marked the Special Olympic Games in 2003. The Budget was deliberately orientated towards the lower paid and the disadvantaged.
One could not imagine his predecessor, Mr McCreevy, speaking about "Government solidarity with the less well off". But Mr Cowen is his own man, with a wider political agenda. He has undertaken to continue the reorientation of Government spending policy towards the disadvantaged in his next Budget. That is welcome. It will provide a checkpoint for those with concerns about the Government's long-term commitment to social justice.