Campaigners stage a fresh protest at NCBI

ANOTHER protest was staged at the National Council for the Blind office on Clarence Street in Dún Laoghaire last Friday.

Campaigners against the threatened closure of the service insist it is set to be transferred to Tallaght, despite assurances from the NCBI and the HSE to the contrary. 

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett has said he was “absolutely outraged” about the transfer and the potential closure of the facility.

Last Friday service users assembled at the offices of the NCBI in Dún Laoghaire to protest against the potential closure of the centre which they say, provides such vital services to the blind and visually impaired community of Dún Laoghaire, North Wicklow, Ringsend and other areas.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said he had already raised this issue with Health Minister Simon Harris last week who replied that he would make enquiries with the HSE and report back.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said: “The people who use this service understand that if the centre was to close, they would have to travel out to Tallaght to get the services they need – that is just not acceptable.

“I have asked that the minister look into this matter and ensure that this vital resource remains open in Dún Laoghaire.”

Service user, Michael Griffith, added: “NCBI have made a major strategic error in trying to amalgamate the services for HSE Area 6 (South Dublin and Wicklow) with Area 7 (West Dublin) because it is not reasonably possible for visually impaired people to access Tallaght by public transport from the Area 6 region.

“We are now calling for a reversal of this decision and a full restoration of services in Dún Laoghaire. For the visually impaired and blind community in South Dublin, this would be a disaster.”

He added: “We are urging the minister and the HSE to intervene in this matter and prevent the NCBI service being taken from our area. We, as service users, should be consulted in any review of the NCBI service.

“Minister Harris must step in and prevent this service from being transferred to Tallaght.”

In a previous statement to Southside People, a spokesperson for the NCBI said they, as well as the HSE, were fully committed to reviewing the value for money of all HSE supported services and ensuring that the needs of people with sight loss are fully met either directly by the HSE or through contracted bodies such as NCBI.

“NCBI will be opening a new purpose-built and fully accessible centre in Tallaght Cross, In January 2019,” the spokesperson said. “This €800,000 investment funded solely by the NCBI through fundraised income thanks to the public’s generosity, will see the NCBI provide a greater level of service to people with sight loss across South Dublin.

“Our new Tallaght centre will act as our centre of excellence on the Southside for all our staff and service delivery.”

The spokesperson added: “It has been agreed that NCBI would submit a revised proposal to CHO6 which will capture the growing need for services in Dún Laoghaire.”