Disability Federation of Ireland Newsletter November 2008

The Budget announced on 14 October marked a huge change in Ireland’s fiscal (tax and spend) policy. Although the Minister of Finance, Brian Lenihan, TD, stated in his Budget address, “We are determined to protect the most vulnerable in our society”, in fact the Budget was very severe from the perspective of people with a disability. Keep in mind that the 2009 Budget’s restrictions on funding for services come on top of the finding by the Auditor and Comptroller General in their Annual Report published in August 2009 that €53 million in funds allocated to disability and mental health services in 2007 in fact was diverted by the HSE to cover spending overruns elsewhere. This is on top of the already well known decision made in July by Government, the Department of Health and the HSEs to divert €17 m of the 2008 Multi Annual Funding Programme from the disability sector.

DFI is working with member organisations to alert decision-makers about the unacceptable consequences of this new environment for people with disabilities, pointing out

• The virtual disappearance of the Multi Annual Funding programme;
• Cutbacks under various pretexts, such that voluntary disability organisations may well face budgets in 2009 that are 6% below the level in 2008.
• Further postponement of the Personal Advocacy Service and implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004;
• The absence of any move to introduce a cost of disability payment;
• An increase in social welfare rates that will not compensate for higher fuel and food prices.

This Budgetary regime undermines the essentials of the National Disability Strategy, not to mention the severe loss at the level of the day-to-day lives of disabled people. The disability sector must strengthen its voice to ensure Government, the Department of Health and Children and the HSE commitment to ensuring that funding promised to disability cannot be redirected in 2009.
John Dolan
CEO