A group of Irish charities has called on the government to “produce a plan for sustainable public services”. They have also asked that there be no cuts made to the ‘social infrastructure’ in Budget 2013.
Speaking at a press conference today, the group issued a joint statement which said:
“There are certain public service outcomes that people have a right to expect and we have to commit to providing. It is our collective judgement that public expenditure cuts to date have pushed our public services and social infrastructure beyond the sustainability point.”
Speaking at the conference, John Dunne, the acting CEO of The Carers Association added that recent cuts had led to a drop in the quality of both the service provided and the products used by his organisation.
Patricia Conboy, the director of Older and Bolder, said that recent cuts to home care services were illogical and were “a textbook example of the costs to citizens when governments fail to plan.”
Organisations represented in the group include the National Youth Council of Ireland, The Wheel, the Disability Federation of Ireland, Irish Rural Link, the Carmichael Centre, The Carers Association, and Older and Bolder.
Speaking on behalf of the group director of advocacy at the Wheel, Ivan Cooper said they would support the government in “making a plan for sustainable public services and making the plan work.”
Source: The Journal.ie