Martin slams abuse group claims as ‘outrageous’

THE Government last night described as outrageous the allegations it had cut funding to abuse survivors’ group One in Four because of its director’s criticism of the Department of Health.

The allegation, made by One in Four director Colm O'Gorman, centred on a telephone call received by an associate of Mr O'Gorman on September 11 last.

According to Mr O'Gorman, the caller, an unidentified male working for the Government, pointed out that One in Four was reliant on State funding and warned that his criticism was annoying the Government.

"The point was made that my personal sabre-rattling against Church and State was creating a level of pissed-offness and there was a general sense of who did this guy think he is biting the hand that feeds him," Mr O'Gorman said.

Days after the call, Mr O'Gorman received a letter from the Department of Health informing him that €81,000 required for counselling services would not be forthcoming.

Announcing that One in Four would have to close at the end of the month due to lack of funding, Mr O'Gorman said he stood over the suggestion that the funding cut could be about ill-will within the Department of Health.

"It's either about absolute total incompetence and a huge cock-up on the part of the department and its officials or it's about something perhaps more sinister an attempt to disable an organisation that they consider to have been too critical to them," he said.

The suggestion was immediately refuted by Health Minister Micheál Martin, who called it outrageous. "It is false and it has no foundation," he said.

"Colm O'Gorman and One in Four are an advocacy organisation. They're entitled to articulate on issues of the day and they have to be independent in the articulation of those issues. That's a principle that I would uphold."

The Department of Health said it fully supported the establishment of One in Four and had provided it with €633,000 in funding since May 2002.

However, One in Four insisted the department had reneged on an agreement reached in March to fund counselling services to the value of €81,000.

The department denied it had committed itself to the funding and said it spent 17m over three years providing counselling through its National Counselling Service.

Mr Martin acknowledged there was a dispute between his officials and One in Four over counselling but said he found it difficult to understand how an immediate closure was required given the level of funding already received by One in Four.

Both Mr Martin and Mr O'Gorman indicated they would be prepared to meet within the next week to attempt to resolve the issue.

Fine Gael opposition spokeswoman Olwyn Enright said the closure of One in Four would be a devastating blow to victims of abuse.

"The cutting of funding for the organisation is a clear signal that the Government support for the organisation's undertaking this advocacy work is conditional on adherence to a party line," she said.

Labour party health spokeswoman Liz McManus urged Mr Martin to provide necessary funding.

"It seems extraordinary that the State is prepared to provide indemnity worth up to a billion euro to religious congregations, while it is not prepared to provide the modest amounts necessary to allow an organisation like One in Four to continue in operation," she said.