Protest over home help cuts in Tullamore
A protest against cuts to home help hours has been organised for Tullamore today (Wednesday). The rally has been organised by SIPTU, which represents something in the region of 10,000 home helps countrywide. Participants taking part in today's protest have been asked to meet at the SIPTU offices on Church Road in Tullamore a 3pm. At approximately 3.30pm attendees will march from those offices to the HSE office on the Arden Road, where home helps will hand over a petition. Home help hours provided by the HSE have been cut by some 500,000 hours already this year, and it's thought something akin to another 600,000 hours are to go in addition by year end. Tullamore Sinn Fein councillor Brendan Killeavy said he's had calls from many vulnerable people affected locally. "Some of these people have no family and need the visits from the home helps," he said. "It is sickening with all the news lately of massive pensions for former politicians and bankers who looked after themselves very well that we have men and women who can't do basic things for themselves find that their home help visits are cut. We have to make a stand - these people did not cause the economic crash and they have to be protected." The rally has also gotten support from Fianna Fail politicians including Tullamore councillor Sinead Dooley and TD Barry Cowen. However Fine Gael's Marcella Corcoran Kennedy said this week Health Minister James Reilly has confirmed those currently in receipt of home help hours won't have them altered without a full assessment of their needs. "Let us not forget that the reason we are in this mess, and that any changes to home help hours are being made, is a result of the spectacular mismanagement of the economy by successive Fianna Fail-led administrations," she said. Separate to today's rally in Tullamore the Home Help/Home Care Community Action Group is to present over 10,000 signatures to the HSE this afternoon in Dublin demanding an immediate reversal of cuts to home help hours and home care packages.