Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In committees, we remain seated but in the Dáil Chamber we usually stand. Good morning to everybody. I wish a happy international women's week to all of our speakers, female members of the committee and females watching the proceedings. It is worth noting that this committee is a majority female committee, but that is not true of all of the committees in the Oireachtas, unfortunately. Some committees have a reasonable number of women. As members can take up positions on more than one committee, many women take up positions on several committees, but not all committees have female representation. This is not reflective of the Oireachtas make-up, where 22.5% of Deputies are female. None of this reflects people with disabilities because the number of disabled people who are elected to the Oireachtas is extremely low, a point made today, including in regard to our councils. This needs to be addressed.

This committee has an important task. It was formed to oversee the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. As mentioned, it is relevant across all Departments and so we should be holding all Departments to account. We must ensure issues that affect women and disabled people are dealt with, which combined add up to a large amount of discrimination. As mentioned by Ms McGovern and others, it is important there is input into this committee by people with the lived experience of a disability. We must ensure that happens in the case of individuals and DPOs. One of my questions is around how best we can do that going forward. The committee has done some outreach work and received some submissions from people in those positions, but we need to ensure we do that in the best way possible.

The past year has been taken up by Covid, which has adversely affected women more than men and disabled people more than able-bodied people. It has led to women having additional chores within the household and in terms of childcare, elderly care and home schooling. As mentioned, women in employment and people with disabilities in employment are frequently employed on a part-time rather than full-time basis and in less secure employment. Also, the majority of those on the front-line in our health and essential services are women and they have been adversely affected by Covid. My prediction is there will be a widening of the gender pay gap and this needs to be tackled as we come out of Covid, it is hoped in the next few months with the roll-out of vaccines.

I am concerned about the statistics provided today about gender violence and the statement that disabled people, disabled women and women with a health problem are more susceptible to violence from a partner. It is very concerning. It is more concerning that the supports are not as available to women with a disability as they are to other women. I am concerned also about the witnesses' commentary that screening programmes such as BreastCheck and CervicalCheck are not available, as they should be, to all women. This also needs to be addressed.

Another issue which I believe is very important is the lack of independent living available, which many of the witnesses referenced. Our Departments, councils and the HSE have a job to do to ensure all adults have choice in regard to where they live and that the proper supports, including personal assistant hours and so forth, are put in place to ensure that happens.

I have a couple of questions, one of which I mentioned earlier in regard to engagement by disabled women, disabled people and DPOs with this committee and how best we can improve that. Another issue arising out of what many of the witnesses have talked about today is the collection of data and the need to ensure those data are broken down by gender. If the State does not have sufficient quality data on disabled women, how can that position be measured and responded to effectively? How can that be improved?