Government warned of further protests if demands to protect funding are not met

Disability campaigners who forced the Government to roll back on €10m in cuts to services are warning of further protests if demands to protect funding are not met.

There was a written commitment from the HSE yesterday not to proceed with cuts to personal care assistants for people with disabilities, but campaigners want a further meeting.

Martin Naughton, spokesman for the group, warned that disabled protesters did not want other vulnerable groups targeted for savings.

“Sometimes our neighbours might be worse off than us so we have to be careful about that. We’re not going away, you can’t hide us, not anymore, we’re going to be louder and clearer,” Mr Naughton said.

He said campaign groups could hear “all nice promises” from ministers but, at the end of the day, it was local HSE services that allocate budgets.

Dozens of protesters in wheelchairs campaigned outside Leinster House yesterday following last week’s news that €10m of €130m in cuts to health services would come from assistant services for the disabled.

The group received a letter from HSE director general Tony O’Brien yesterday in which he pledged the funds would not be cut.

Mr O’Brien said James Reilly, the health minister, had asked for savings to instead be made across the disability sector with a “focus on cutting administration, training, and travel costs, and better cash management by agencies involved”.

The climbdown followed an all-night protest by disabled people. The group eventually met Mr Reilly and he agreed to the U-turn.

The HSE chief’s letter says specific funding will be provided in “accordance with their needs”. The wording has worried campaigners who called off their protest but only if a meeting with Mr O’Brien could be arranged in the next 14 days.

Mr Naughton, on behalf of the Leaders Alliance group, wrote: “Specifically, the use of the phrase ‘in accordance with their needs’ leaves open the possibility that persons currently in receipt of personal assistance services are still at risk of losing hours.”

The group say they want to “work with the HSE” over maximising existing funding for the disability sector.

The Government faces protests from other groups over concerns about reductions in frontline services.

Home help and home care workers gathered outside Government Buildings last night voicing anger over HSE plans to slash services by thousands of hours.