Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I echo the expressions of sympathy to the Honan family on the loss of Tras Honan.I also echo Senator Dooley’s comments about Dublin city. As a proud Dubliner, I am dismayed to see the city descend into anarchy as it did. I wrote an article inTheJournal.ie on 21 October in which I predicted precisely this set of circumstances. I think a Rubicon has been passed in that members of An Garda Síochána were targeted. That is a new phenomenon. Rioting has happened in our city centre but the deliberate targeting of An Garda Síochána is a new phenomenon, and it will happen again. It behoves us to take whatever measures are necessary to equip, support and resource An Garda Síochána to meet that threat; it is in all of our interests.

I wish to raise the issue of the Government’s Green Paper on disability reform. I am alarmed that this consultation process continues. I have been contacted by a large number of disabled persons’ organisations, DPOs, that are expressing deep concerns about the nature of the consultative process itself and some of the contributions made at the consultative process by guests invited by the Department of Social Protection.

This is a dystopian, dysfunctional document. I know it is a discussion paper but it only contains one suggestion, which is that we medically categorise all disabled citizens who are in receipt of disability allowance, which, at present is 225,000 people. It proposes to medically assess them over five years. They are people like my son, who cannot get a medical appointment, essential therapies, interventions and surgeries, and now the Government is proposing that we compel them to attend a medical assessment where they will be categorised on the basis of their ability to work. This is a functional, instrumental view of disabled people. It is the very definition of ableism and it flies in the face of the principles and aspirations as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I implore the Government to please desist. Drop this Bill. Drop this Green Paper because it will bring all the Government parties into disrepute.

It is a copy of an austerity policy rolled out in the UK. This week, the UK Government announced it will audit disabled persons’ social media accounts. If they can do a TikTok or a Facebook post, it can then be said that they can work remotely from their bedrooms.

This is a draconian, Dickensian set of proposals. At a time when we have one of the worst set of outcomes in Europe for disabled citizens, let us do something to help disabled citizens. We should make disability allowance a universal, non-means tested payment. It would be cost-neutral and it would help and support these people back into the workplace. Above all, I implore, in the time that is left of this Government, that we please fully ratify all protocols of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as set out in the programme for Government.