Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Murray for sharing her experiences with us. I pay tribute to Senator John Dolan and Mr. Kieran Delaney, a staff member in the Houses of the Oireachtas, for highlighting the things we, as politicians, take for granted or are not aware of but should be.

I thank Ms Murray and Mr. Moran for being here. I enjoy using public transport wherever I go, which sometimes is a challenge, but that challenge is nowhere near what it would be if I had a disability. I live in Boyle, County Roscommon which is serviced by buses and trains which I am sure present challenges for people with a disability.

Ms Murray has mentioned that the introduction of the four-hour plan for train usage is not enough and that 24-hour notice of a bus journey is also not enough. As I am not familiar with these issues, perhaps Ms Murray might elaborate. She has also mentioned that if she misses a pre-arranged meeting, she is labelled as unreliable, which is unacceptable. It never occurred to me that a person who turned up late for a meeting owing to a public transport issue would be deemed to be unreliable. I am disappointed that commuters had to help Ms Murray off trains because staff were too busy. That is what they are paid to do; it is their job. If she pre-books a journey and a properly adapted bus is not provided, that is not human error but negligence. I agree with the Chairman that if a person pre-books a journey and a property adapted bus is not provided, there must be recourse to the provision of a taxi. This hurts staff and the companies. I accept that the companies are doing a lot and that they need to do more, but in situations where a staff member shows no interest in helping disabled persons, it is not good enough. I understand Senator John Dolan and Mr. Kieran Delaney have highlighted these issues and will continue to do so.