Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was delighted to be invited by the fantastic people in the Clare Leader Forum to address its public rally calling for a centralised personal assistance, PA, service. On the day, we heard many impassioned speeches from members of the Clare Leader Forum, who I acknowledge for speaking up and speaking out on the day. The assembled crowd heard from people with disabilities who have suffered greatly because they cannot get enough access to PA hours due to several factors. These people ultimately have to choose whether to get help with washing themselves or other essential daily duties in the house. They are not able to partake in social events and are often isolated in their own homes. Some cannot decide the time they want to go to bed at and are instead forced to go to bed at a time even my young children would struggle to go.

On foot of that rally, I wrote to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to discuss how we can work towards parity of PA services. In the letter, I requested that he reform the distribution of PA hours to enable parity of services across CHO areas, meeting the social, personal and employment needs of those who avail of PA services.

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