Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will make just a few comments. Senator Dolan will be able to fill in for me. I apologise for being late. There was an accident on the N7 on the way up and, unfortunately, we were diverted off the motorway. I am sorry to have missed the personal testimonies. I was in the audiovisual room a number of months ago when Senator Dolan brought in witnesses to give their life histories and to outline how their disabilities affect them. I do understand the position but, unfortunately, I did miss the delegates' contributions this morning.

From a medical perspective, I believe in the importance of work to health. Work is like a drug. If people who have a disability can get a job, it lifts their personal status and self-esteem, and it also benefits them in so many other ways. Work is like a drug in that it can benefit people greatly. At meetings of the health committee, we have seen that health is one aspect of disability but there are many others. There are many social determinants of health, including education, about which we have been speaking this morning, and housing, transport and social protection.

These all tie in with providing an enhanced quality of life to people with disabilities. In rural Ireland, the lack of transport is a huge inhibiting factor for people in terms of getting employment and access to work.

Personal budgets should be introduced in the near future because they give people with disabilities a totally different aspect to their independence, meaning that they can decide how to live and how their supports are used to their advantage, because each person is different.