Sir, - Proposed FAS cutbacks appear to be directed at the most vulnerable section of our society, namely the old and the handicapped.
In at least one town I know of, a scheme which has been operating for many years, providing a support and caring service to elderly people, now faces closure due to a threatened withdrawal of FAS funding to the sponsors operating the scheme.
The area being serviced encompasses approximately 20 square miles. Within this region, there are a large number of old and vulnerable people, some into their 90s, and living alone in sparsely populated areas.
The dedication of those providing this service goes far beyond the call of duty. Yet FAS in its wisdom sees fit to banish them to the dole queues, citing a lack of training on such schemes as an excuse.
Without the service, many of these people would now be in residential care, at considerably greater expense to the State. The approximate cost to the Exchequer of providing the service as presently operated is around £4.50 a week per person. It is difficult to understand how any State body could justify a waste of taxpayers' money by forcing people into institutional care when they can live out their lives in dignity at home at a fraction of the cost.
Voluntary organisations are rarely consulted when such far-reaching decisions are taken. As the people providing these services, are they not the ones best qualified to evaluate policies which affect the weakest and most vulnerable in our society? - Yours, etc., Alice Lennon,
Tullamaine, Callan, Co Kilkenny.