Budget for disabled needs to be increased, not slashed -- Akahata editorial, January 28 (excerpts)

Disabled people and local municipalities are angry at the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry for putting a ceiling on the amount of state subsidies for home-help services for the disabled under the state support system starting from April.

Backward move

If such a ceiling is set, local governments which have promoted home-help services for the disabled will have to bear all the costs exceeding the limit. If the costs are shifted onto the user, disabled people will have to restrict their use of the services to shorter hours. This will seriously harm their livelihood and completely go against the purpose of the system, assisting the disabled to be self-supporting.

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers Group has demanded that the HL&W Ministry retract its plan to limit the use of home-help services by the disabled. Local governments have expressed serious anxiety.

Increase budget

In fact, the services now available are far from being adequate. A survey by a National Liaison Council of Workshops for Disabled shows that 20 percent of all local governments are lacking home-help services; 61 percent are without a short-stay service, and 87 percent without a day-service. The central government has the responsibility to make up for the lag in the supply of services with state funds.

If the HL&W Ministry insists that the system will not be subject to a financial ceiling, it is necessary to substantially increase the budget related to the disabled. (end)