Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests and thank them for some very informative papers on disabilities and disability services funding. Did they carry out any analysis of budget 2018 and the decisions made in it? How are those decisions playing out during the current year? The delegates mentioned the Parliamentary Budget Office. What role would they like to see the office fulfilling in the disability proofing of budgets? Have they been in contact with the director or any of the staff in the office to get them to work on the additional data that might be required? In respect of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's programme on gender equality budgeting, would the delegates like to see a similar programme emerging for the disability proofing of budgets?

On costings, I noticed that several of the presentations were looking forward to 2019 and up to 2021. As Ms Carthy said, the personal assistant service is at the heart of some of the resources we need. She mentioned a figure of 500,000 hours. There was also a reference to the personal independence payment which has been introduced in the United Kingdom. What is the delegates' attitude to it? A costed disability payment was mentioned. I remember proposing such a payment with other colleagues 15 or 20 years ago. The suggestion has been made during the years. What costings have the delegates made for 2019 onwards?