€75m funds cut will threaten disability services

THE ANTICIPATED loss of €75 million in funding will seriously threaten disability services across the board, the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) said yesterday.

The organisation predicted that €50 million multi-annual funding “will not be released but used instead to address overruns in the health services”, its chief executive, John Dolan, said yesterday.

This funding had been given since 2006 under the National Development Plan to provide extra residential beds, respite and day places, home supports and personal assistants. The HSE indicated at the weekend that it has committed €20 million of this funding and the remainder was ringfenced for disability services.

However, Mr Dolan said yesterday that “not one cent of the €50 million funding has been deployed” .

This expected cut is in addition to a 1 per cent efficiency savings (about €25 million) being imposed on all disability services by the HSE.

“This is a major governance issue the Government and Oireachtas has to face. Who is making the decisions; is the tail wagging the dog?” Mr Dolan asked.

“How is it that an executive agency under the aegis of one Government department can unilaterally overturn not only the funding allocation remit of the Oireachtas but also of the National Development Plan,” he asked the Joint Oireachtas Health Committee yesterday.

Mr Dolan told the committee that it “must find a way to prevent the HSE from effectively subverting the decisions of the Oireachtas in relation to voted funding for the national disability strategy”.

Responding to the federation’s presentation, Government and Opposition TDs and Senators said that money allocated by the Oireachtas for a particular purposes should be given.

“The HSE must understand that picking on the vulnerable is not what it should do,” Fianna Fáil TD Charlie O’Connor said.

“As far as I am concerned, if it is allocated it should be used for that particular purpose.”

“If money is allocated to that service, it should go to that service,” Fianna Fáil TD Rory O’Hanlon said.

“What can people think if the House votes on a policy which is then negated?” Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly asked, adding that it was unacceptable.

The federation represents over 100 voluntary disability organisations, a number of whom indicated at the federation’s press conference that they were already feeling the impact of the cuts.

Paul Ledwidge, chief executive of St Michael’s House, said that his board had to decide what it will do with 16 people whose parents are dead and for whom the HSE said there is no funding available.

“What is likely to happen is these people will be held in respite beds, which means no breaks for families at St Michael’s House for the rest of the year,” Mr Ledwidge said.