I fully support full pay restoration for section 38 and section 39 workers. We need high quality, adequately funded public services that are fit for the 21st century and fit for section 39 workers to work in and deliver services. Records show that over 3,000 section 38 and section 39 agencies received some €3 billion from the HSE in 2015. This is almost one quarter of the overall HSE budget for that year. The scale of this level of outsourcing is staggering and it is a fundamental problem in the provision of a proper health service, fit for purpose, where workers can work and deliver services properly, and the provision of good public services generally.
Until we confront the situation and introduce radical change in how we provide and fund front-line essential services we will not get the services we need for our elderly, our sick, our children, or for those with a disability or suffering from a mental health issue.
This is not to say there is not a role for advocacy groups that are independent of the State, and grant aided by the State. Advocacy groups have a key role in identifying problems and weaknesses in public services. Rather than the forum as proposed in the motion I would support a forum for advocacy groups to develop a broad campaign to fight for public services as a right, and to break once and for all with the Victorian notions of the poorhouse and the deserving poor.
I want to make it clear that there is no criticism in these remarks for the thousands of volunteers who give up their time freely to provide services that the State - in the main - should provide, or those workers who work full time in section 39 bodies.
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