Speaking ahead of the presentation of the petition, John Hancock, a partially-sighted, double-amputee whose home help hours were cut recently, stated: "I will be travelling down to Dublin from Cavan Town to make it clear to the HSE and the government that they must reverse the cuts to the home help. I know what the effects of these cuts are like, they're horrible; but there are others worse off than me whose hours of care are being cut too and I'm here to fight for them as well as myself."
Sandra O'Hara, a home care worker in Dublin, gave her reasons for fighting the cuts ahead of tomorrow's petition presentation: "The Irish people have always been known to be caring people, who showed respect for the vulnerable in society and cared for them. The cutbacks to the home help hours are leaving these members of our society feeling hurt and frightened. We're here to fight these cutbacks and to support our clients and we'll continue to fight until the government and the HSE see sense and reverse these cuts," Ms. O'Hara concluded.