Speaking on a Sinn Féin Private Members Business Motion in the Dáil last night, Donegal North East TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn called upon the Government to keep the pre-election promises they made to the Community and Voluntary Sector.
Deputy Mac Lochlainn said the consensus for cuts, established by Fianna Fáil is now being led by Fine Gael and Labour.
He said: “The community and voluntary sector, despite it’s proven track-record and value, has been disproportionately targeted by government cuts since before the recession even began. Even when public spending went up in 2009, the then Government still cut the sector’s funding, with the new Government quite happy to keep up this tradition.
“Organisations in the community and voluntary sector have suffered cutbacks on average of around 20% with high value organisations focused on anti-poverty work such as the Community Workers Cooperative losing 100% of their funding as a punishment for speaking out against government policy.
“These funding cutbacks have not only ensured unemployment for thousands of people, but resulted in a marked deterioration in the lives of thousands of others as the community sector is no longer able to sustain the same levels of activities and services they provide. I would remind the Government that these are the same services that the community sector are providing because the State has so absolutely failed to do so themselves.
“Fianna Fáil could not expect anyone to believe that they supported the community sector when they were inflicting this level of cuts, and Fine Gael and Labour cannot seriously expect us to believe that they are supporting the community sector when they clearly have no intention of reinstating the level of funding that is needed.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to commend those who are working in the community and voluntary sector, both in paid and voluntary capacities. These are the people who have to face the reality of, and make up the shortfall for the Government’s ‘on a wing and a prayer’ attitude to policy making in this State.
“People are over-working in terrible conditions, providing services for people who are very often living in terrible-conditions, for low pay, or no pay, and trying to make slashed budgets stretch as far as humanly possible.
“Cuts to the community sector are part of a larger deflationary austerity plan. They are doing irreparable damage to our vital community infrastructure which has taken years to build up. The consensus of cuts having been embarked on by Fianna Fáil, is now supported by Fine Gael and the Labour Party with communities suffering from the cumulative effect of cuts to public spending, cuts to public services, cuts to minimum wage and cuts to community-based services.”
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