SIPTU members and service users have condemned a cut in
funding to the Personal Assistant service which provides vital support for
people with disabilities.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Darragh O’Connor, said: “The
decision by the HSE to reduce funding to disability services in its 2016
service plan has been met with dismay by workers and service users.
“This cut will result in the loss of 100,000 hours of
services provided by Personal Assistants that enable people with physical
disabilities to participate in their communities and workplaces”.
SIPTU activist and Personal Assistant (PA), Declan
McCarthy, said: “The PA service can help transform people’s lives. There is a
lot of talk about economic recovery but I don’t see it when disability services
are being cut like this."
PA service user and disability activist, Dr. John Roche,
said: “People with disabilities depend on PA services to live independent lives
in their communities. Without these supports, people can be confined to their
beds, homes or institutions. Without a PA service you don’t have a life, you
have an existence.”
Darragh O’Connor added: “People with disabilities want to
work, socialise, live a normal life and Personal Assistants can make this
happen. Cutting PA services when there is a growing demand is indefensible.
SIPTU is calling on the Minister of Health, Leo Varadkar, to do the right thing
and reverse this cut and invest adequately in PA services.”
