KildareNet News

CELBRIDGE, 8 April 2002: by Brian Byrne. A 2.9 million euros cut in the 2002 allocation for St John of God Kildare Services means the organisation has to make severe cuts in the services it provides.

These include a reduction in the number of residential places provided at St Raphael's in Celbridge by 12, and a similar cut in the number of day places.

Acting director Daniel Monaghan also says the non-residential respite programmes, which provides a social club, summer holidays programme and summer camp, will also have to be cut back.

Some 25 whole-time positions in the organisation will have to be 'suppressed', and funding earmarked for 'new service development' will have to be transferred to protect existing services during 2002.

"We are doing all we can to minimise the cutbacks, but this is going to have a huge impact on the delivery of service," Mr Monaghan says.

The Vicar Provincial of the order, Brother Fintan Brennan-Whitmore, says in a letter to the Eastern Regional Health Authority that he is 'greatly concerned' about the budget allocation, after receiving 'clarifications' from the authority's Finance Department and Service Planners.

He specifically notes the main reasons behind the shortfall: that there's inadequate money for some pay awards which have been improved; that no amount has been provided for other pay awards, such as those to psychologists; that certain costs incurred in 2001 on an ongoing basis have been treated as 'once-off' costs only; and some specific pressures on the non-pay budget, such as insurance, energy and the VAT increase have not been recognised.

Local Labour TD Emmet Stagg has criticised the cuts as 'outrageous and cruel' and has called on local election candidates Paul Kelly (FF) and Kathleen Walsh (PD) to 'use their influence' to have the cuts reversed.

"It is a most callous and uncaring action by a Government who can look after millionnaire sportsmen, but can't find it in their heart to provide services for intellectual disability," he said.