Shadow Community Development Minister Michael Weeks would have taken Government to task for drastic cuts in the Ministry’s funding had he contributed to Monday’s debate on budgetary allocations for the Ministry.Each of the department’s six heads suffered cuts, totalling $1.5 million.“I had an issue with the cuts in Community and Cultural Development, ie in Family Services, in our sporting programmes, in our cultural programmes, things that could help our youngsters in the front end,” Mr Weeks told this newspaper.“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. My thing was to highlight the cuts. I recognise that in these times cuts have to be made but I think the cuts should have been more balanced.”He said public safety will be getting more funding while social services will get less.“Why are you going to put more money on the back end and less money on the front end? Where is the balanced approach? Why is it that once Bob Richards looked under the hood, it’s those families that are struggling that are in the hood that get the brunt?“How do we cut Financial Assistance in the midst of the worst jobs crisis we have had since when, the Depression?“How do we cut monies for residential care services that deal with a lot of at-risk children who are placed there by the court? How do we slash that budget by almost half?“It’s almost a death knell for that programme and more so because Sunshine League has closed and a lot of those foster care kids would go to residential care. So if anything at all, we would need more funding, more available beds for our young kids at risk.”Mr Weeks said he was unable to argue his points at yesterday’s House of Assembly debate in what he described as a possible “misunderstanding”.But he did explain his case to the media at an Alaska Hall press conference called for the purpose.And he shared with this newspaper a 64-page dossier of notes that he had prepared for the debate.In the notes, he argues that the Ministry was singled out for “drastic cuts” in contrast to the rest of the Budget which is slated for an overall increase in spending.He highlighted a $102,000 reduction for the Ministry headquarters, a $391,000 decrease for the Department of Youth Sport and Recreation and $524,000 in cuts for the Department of Child and Family Services.“Child and Family Services, being cut by this OBA Government represents a callous and uncaring Government who saw fit to chop in this area at this time in this country when it is essential that our social fabric be repaired,” he had prepared to say.He was also prepared to point out that the other three Departments Community and Cultural Affairs, Financial Assistance and Human Affairs were to be cut by $123,000, $369,000 and $75,000 respectively.“These cuts are an affront to the ordinary men and women of Bermuda at a time when they are most in need of help from Government,” he would have told his parliamentary colleagues.