Minister threatens to transfer respite care funds
HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has issued a veiled threat to voluntary organisations offering disability services including respite care, warning that if they are unable to provide their services within budget, the money will be moved elsewhere.
She said there was "no question" of additional money being made available to the organisations this year.
The Cabinet will meet today for a number-crunching session following her warning that the next Budget will be "one of the most challenging" of recent years.
Ms Harney also referred to the Brothers of Charity's recent threat to cut some respite services in Galway.
"In relation to the services in Galway, there is another organisation in Galway, Ability West, and if for any reason the Brothers of Charity are not in a position to be able to provide the respite, I think we'll have to look at other service providers so the people who are providing care at home get the essential respite that they deserve," she said in Waterford yesterday.
"We don't have additional money for the health services. We're confident that the 42 organisations which provide respite care will, within the budget that was given to them in 2010, be able to provide that respite care and in fact 40 of the 42 organisations have not been in a position where they were announcing that respite would be withdrawn."
Talks are to be held this week with the Daughters of Charity aimed at persuading the organisation to reopen respite facilities, which it closed in Dublin.
Respite facilities in Limerick have also been closed by the Brothers of Charity.
Both organisations say cuts in budgets imposed this year have put them under severe pressure.
The voluntary organisations providing disability services receive more than €1bn annually.
"We're talking about a billion euro, we're talking about providing respite care to 5,000 people, and I believe that the money provided can provide that respite care and I expect the organisations to respond," said Ms Harney.
Institutions
The Department of Health said yesterday that junior minister John Moloney would not be commenting on the report of a working group, which is set to call for the closure of all institutions for people with intellectual disabilities in the next seven years.
The working group on congregated settings was set up to develop a national plan and change programme for transferring people with disabilities from institutions into the community.
A spokesman for Mr Moloney said he would not comment on the report until its findings were published.
There are 72 institutions funded to the tune of around €500,000 a year, providing care for more than 4,000 residents.
The report recommends that they be replaced with modern community residences.
- Conor Kane and Eilish O'Regan
Irish Independent
