Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is obviously heartbreaking and devastating to see what has happened. We seem to be going from one disaster to another - the tsunami, the disaster in the Philippines and now what is happening in Nepal. These disasters push the other humanitarian crises further down the agenda. If we think about what is happening in Gaza, there is no rebuilding going on. Equating it with our country and imagining whole areas being wiped out brings home the horror of what has happened. I hope the committee writes to the Nepalese ambassador but I ask that in the letter, special consideration would be given to people with disabilities who get caught up in disasters such as the earthquake. Sometimes they do not have sight, speech or hearing and however bad it is for able bodied people, it is worse for children and people with a disability. I ask that this point be made.