By Deborah Condon

Disability services in Ireland are significantly under-resourced, risking the health and safety of thousands of people, disability service providers have said.

According to the Not For Profit Business Association (NFPBA), Health Minister, Micheal Martin and the Department of Health have failed to honour funding commitments, resulting in a deficit of €6.1 million.

Organisations affected by this deficit include the Irish Wheelchair Association, the Central Remedial Clinic, the National Association for Deaf People, the National Association for the Blind and the Cheshire Foundation.

"Of the €12 million promised, just €5.9 million has been allocated. This under-resourcing is causing serious problems and presents increasing risks at a number of levels, including sustaining existing levels of service, health and safety", said Frank Flannery, chairman of the NFPBA.

If the remaining money is not forthcoming, disability organisations will be forced to fundraise 'even more intensely than at present'.

"We will also have to resort to further bank borrowings, something which we are loathe to do", Mr Flannery said.

In early 2002, the NFPBA launched a major campaign to highlight the funding and staffing difficulties in the disability sector. A subsequent meeting with the Health Minister resulted in commitments to alleviate the situation, including:

• Core deficits were to be eliminated in 2003 and organisations would be compensated for deficits incurred in 2002.
• Recommendations from the Harmon/Bruton study, which was commissioned by the Department of Health and which had identified 927 staff vacancies in the sector, would be implemented in 2003/04.

However none of these commitments have been honoured, a situation which is 'simply unacceptable'.

"We appreciate that the Minister has been under pressure from the Department of Finance on funding, but we maintain that those with disabilities should be given priority treatment. It is just not good enough that many people cannot get out of their homes to go to work, cannot socialise, cannot access vital therapeutic services and cannot play any part in local community life", said Mark Blake-Knox of the Cheshire Foundation.

The NFPBA is calling on the Health Minister to honour all outstanding commitments within this area as a matter of urgency.