Disability rights groups target Dáil

DISABILITY rights groups will march on the Dáil tomorrow in protest at the Government’s refusal to provide them with full-time workers to care for wheelchair users.

They will be demanding that the Taoiseach lives up to his pledge not to allow the legacy of the Special Olympics to die.

The disability groups want the Community Employment Scheme (CES) workers caring for wheelchair clients be mainstreamed so they do not lose their jobs after three years.

“We will have to close 10 day care centres nationwide in September, because of broken promises to make these workers full-time,” Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) chief executive Seamus Thompson said.

The closure of these 10-day care centres will deprive IWA clients all over the country of the only social activity they enjoy, Mr Thompson added.

“We will stay outside the Dáil day and night until our case is addressed as we believe that we have been more than reasonable,” the IWA chief executive said.

Fine Gael last night accused the Government of breaking its promise to make permanent the number of CES jobs filled by workers for the IWA and other disability groups.

“The Government has broken its promise to make permanent the CES participants currently working with disability groups,” said Fine Gael’s Disability Issues spokesman David Stanton.

Already the IWA has lost 75 workers and a further 119 will go before the end of the year, he said.

Tánaiste Mary Harney has refused to lift the three year cap on CE schemes. Mr Stanton said this will lead to the closure of IWA centres in Cork City, Bandon, Limerick, Ennis, Offaly, Laois, Mullingar, Longford, Athlone and Roscrea.

However, Health Minister Micheál Martin last night rejected claims that the Government had gone back on its pledge to make the CES workers with the Irish Wheelchair Association permanent.

His spokesman said the commitment made last October to mainstream all CES workers in the health and social services was subject to funds being available.

The Health Minister told the Dáil on June 19 there was not sufficient funds in 2003 to do this, even though the Department still supported the mainstreaming of these services.

Mr Martin said he was aware the three-year cap on CE schemes was affecting the delivery of health and social services by some sponsor agencies.

And that is why he had asked the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to lift the three-year cap for these workers.

However, the Junior Employment Minister Frank Fahy who has responsibility for CES workers has ruled this out.

On June 24, Mr Fahy told IWA representatives that he would not lift the three-year capping on CE schemes or mainstream those workers in health and social services.

Mr Fahy said FÁS would try to find people who could be trained up to an acceptable level for CE recruitment, according to the IWA.