A chara, – Noel Cuddy’s suggestion (July 7th) that those providing services for people with intellectual disabilities should be directly accountable and answerable to a Minister for Disabilities who has real control, power and a budget deserves serious consideration. It is disquieting and worrying that the highly emotive threat of reduced respite services has become the automatic and inevitable response from service providers when financial choices are necessary. The fact that respite services are woefully inadequate raises important questions about efficacy, value for money and accountability.
A way must be found to enable children and adults with intellectual disabilities, their parents (often very elderly) and families, to have their voices heard and acted upon when vast amounts of funding are being disbursed in their name. Blaming the HSE is not the answer. Self-serving politicians who exploit the fears and vulnerabilities of the least secure in our society are not part of the solution either.
A realistic appraisal, in a national context, is now of the utmost urgency. – Is mise,