Irish voters angry as cash windfall fails to fix poor public services

By Padraic Halpin

Ireland's prime minister has apologised repeatedly in the run-up to Friday's election, after a clip of him walking away from an exasperated care worker encapsulated voters' frustration at the cash-rich government's failure to deliver better services.

Despite billions of euros of windfall tax payments from U.S. multinationals gifting Ireland the healthiest public finances in Europe, the campaign has been marked by stories of long waiting lists for health procedures, housing and disability care.

Simon Harris, who became prime minister in April on a promise of better service delivery, said he cared deeply about the issue, noting that he began his political career campaigning for better support for his autistic younger brother.

Polls suggest the coalition led by his Fine Gael party and Fianna Fail remain on course for re-election, though Fine Gael has lost a quarter of its support since the start of the campaign, according to one poll.

Some voters, like John Fogarty, are desperate.

His 6-year-old daughter Grace is still waiting for therapeutic support from the state, three-and-a-half years after they first sought help for her autism and even though her language is limited, making it hard for her to communicate.

"So many autistic children and their families are being let down by the state when there is money everywhere in this country at the moment," said Fogarty, a sports journalist whose family live on the outskirts of Dublin.

"You feel very alone and you feel very disheartened."

With local autism provision full up, Grace endures a 65-km (40-mile) drive across Dublin and back each day to school. She will soon have to leave early to avoid pre-Christmas traffic stretching her journey home to two hours.

Some 37% of autistic children wait four years or more to access public speech language support or occupational therapy, a "deeply concerning" situation, according to autism charity AsIAm, which compiled the figures.

SPENDING SURGES, BUT SO DO HOUSING COSTS

The parties vying to make up the next government have all promised to hire and train more therapists, fund private disability assessments to cut public waiting times and provide more schools and classes for children with additional needs.

The care worker Harris walked away from was complaining about low pay in the disability sector - a key barrier to progress. Harris said he should have given her more time.

Leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Holly Cairns, said in response to the incident that the government lacked the political will to use resources well.

"Ireland is a rich country. There is no excuse for our shameful, threadbare disability services," she said.

Government spending in Ireland has grown by 52% since the last election five years ago and the budget for disability services has increased by a similar level.

Many of the issues are wider. A decade-long lack of affordable housing has stifled recruitment in public services. At last count 34% of roles on the teams of therapists that provide publicly-funded supports for children with a disability are vacant, according to Ireland's health service operator.

Experience has taught Fogarty to be sceptical of more promises from politicians.

"When you're in the position like ours you don't see the best of this country, you see the absolute dysfunction of it," he said.