This indiscriminate chopping is making people suffer too much'
Angry demonstrators said the Government had failed to keep its promises to support the sector and was instead cutting funding, care places and development projects.
"Able to promise unable to deliver," read one blunt placard.
Annie Ryan of the St Joseph's Parents Association from St Ita's hospital in Portrane, Co Dublin, said Government cutbacks and lack of funding were impacting on thousands of families, many of whom could not come to yesterday's protest due to a lack of respite care.
"I understand cutbacks and I understand booms and stuff but they shouldn't be targeted this way. This indiscriminate chopping is making people suffer too much," she said.
Ms Ryan said €10,000 needed for computer equipment and software used by Montessori teachers of intellectually disabled people at St Ita's had just been provided by St Vincent de Paul.
"It's sad we had to rely on a charity for that and it's a sad reflection on how the strategic services see the situation," she said.
St Ita's was to get a facility on campus to house 60 of its patients. However all, plans have now been shelved.
Ms Ryan said. "They didn't get the development for the 60 people so the policy now is to double up the units. The Government promised improvements but it's back to the dark ages again."
She said the hospital's GP, who left three months ago, has yet to be replaced. "There is no GP in a hospital for 230 intellectually disabled people. What are they supposed to do?" she asked, adding there was also a huge shortage of nurses Deirdre Carroll, general secretary of the National Association of the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland (NAMHI), which led yesterday's protest, pointed to three critical areas hit by cuts and inadequate funding.
"There are no new services for respite care and that is a major problem now because people can get no breaks," Ms Carroll said.
NAMHI is also angered at letters recently sent to parents of children in special needs schools informing them no service will be available for children over the age of 18 next year.
"What are the parents of those people to do? They will just have to stay at home," Ms Carroll said.
"There is also a problem with people coming off waiting lists because there is no money for new developments to cater for those people."
A list of those waiting for services the National Intellectual Disability Database from 2001 is completed but has not yet been released by the Department of Health.
The previous database showed 600 intellectually disabled people were not receiving any services while 1,500 disabled people needed residential support.
It is expected the new list will show an increase in those figures. Campaigner Kathy Sinnott, whose son Jamie suffers from autism, said: "I really feel the biggest problem for my son is not his disability but the State."
She said the amount the Government spends on its citizens is less than half the EU average.
Fiona Crowley of Amnesty International said value for money seemed to be more important than basic human rights.
Labour's Breeda Moynihan Cronin called for the immediate provision of €35m needed to meet the funding shortfall for services for 2003.
"That is a tiny sum compared to what the Governments plan to spend on two new jets," she said.
Sinn Féin health spokesperson Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin said it was disgraceful that people with disabilities had to protest outside Leinster House at the Government's failure to keep its promises.
A Fine Gael private members motion last night condemned the Government for neglecting the mental health sector Deputy health spokesperson Dan Neville said the Government had added insult to injury by introducing more cutbacks.
"It is outrageous that in 2003 persons with intellectual disabilities are still being treated in run down psychiatric hospitals," he said.
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