Cuts force PwDI branch to close

THE Clare branch of People with Disabilities Ireland (PwDI) is set to close in the new year after funding for the organisation was withdrawn by the Government. The branch is one of 22 across the country facing closure, with Dermot Hayes, network officer in Clare saying, “I am very angry at this, the minister has taken what is considered the easy option to cut our funding. We’re not going to be the ones going out on the streets, we don’t have the clout of other organisations.”

He is calling on Oireachtas members, including Senator Martin Conway, who was nominated by the organisation for the Seanad, to fight for the continuation of their funding.
The PwDI have been in operation in Clare since 1997, working towards providing opportunities for people with various disabilities to take part in and influence the decision-making process that impacts on their lives and opportunities.
According to Mr Hayes, the loss of the service to the county will have a detrimental effect on the lives of the thousands of people with disabilities in the county.
“We are about providing an independent voice and with the withdrawal of our funding, we are no longer able to do that,” he said.
“The organisation was set up by the Government in 1996 to act as the voice for the end user but it has found itself without funding of €800,000 for 2012. There are 22 networks around the country about to close. We call on the six Oireachtas members, especially Senator Martin Conway, who was nominated by PWDI for the Seanad, to come out now and defend the organisation funding. PWDI calls on members, parents, advocates and organisations working in the area of inclusion and rights to come out and clearly support the fight for the inclusion of people with a disability in Irish society.”
Speaking in relation to the decision, Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, stated that on the basis of a value-for-money review, it has been “clearly established that the vast majority of the money allocated to PWDI is being spent disproportionately”.
The board of PwDI stated they are “extremely shocked” at the withdrawal of funding. Chairperson of PwDI, James McClean described the decision as a retrograde step and said its impact will have far-reaching consequences for people with disabilities and the many small disability groups they worked with locally. He added that in collaboration with the department, it had undertaken a process of restructuring the organisation and was now better placed than ever to represent people with disabilities.