Sly ‘savings’ may cost them dearly

AMID a torrent of evidence of Government cutbacks by stealth, the refusal to refund 30 million owed to people suffering from long-term illnesses will hit one of the most vulnerable sections of society.

Already, we have seen a blizzard of increases in health. Hitting people where it hurts most, additional charges have included an 18% hike in VHI subscriptions, higher payments for overnight stays in hospital plus a 10 jump in rates for admission to A&E units and an increase in threshold of the drugs refund scheme.

Coupled with cutbacks in defence, education, and overseas aid, such increases amount to the introduction of a mini-Budget by sleight of hand, a perception endorsed by Irish Examiner revelations that the Government was secretly cutting departmental spending months before the general election. Yet, at the time, the PR spin from the outgoing Coalition was that the economy was sound and no cuts were in the offing.