Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank both the Minister and the Minister of State for their attendance. It is great to have a committee dedicated to this issue and making things happen. So far, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte's engagement with disability support services and people with disabilities has been really refreshing. Many of the providers in my area are very grateful for her engagement and I thank her for that.

Many of the issues I intended to raise have already been raised. Deputy Tully, for example, raised the issue of the payment being lower than the pandemic unemployment payment, which has highlighted the shortcomings in that regard, and Deputy Hourigan raised the issue of employment. For this reason, I will not go into great detail on these issues as they have already been discussed.

The Minister referred to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities under the previous Government. While that is great, it is very important to the committee that the ratification of the optional protocol is included in that because people with disabilities need to be able to exercise their rights. Many different supports and infrastructures need to be in place for that to be possible and we all need to be held to account on that. One way of achieving that is to ratify the optional protocol, which is essential. A rights-based approach is very important.

The Minister of State referred to people living in nursing homes and unsuitable congregated settings and noted that, sadly, some people had passed away as a result of Covid-19. This highlights an already existing issue from which we will have to learn. If we are to take seriously the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and hold ourselves to account with that, the need for independent supported leaving will be paramount. This committee cannot just make that happen. We have to liaise with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Minister of State also referred to liaising with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and other Ministers. It is very important that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is consulted from the outset. Every Bill should include independent supported living. I do not know if the position varies throughout the country but in my constituency, getting independent supported living is not possible for persons with disabilities. That is sometimes possible for older persons but even then it is very challenging. From the outset, we must work with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure people actually have a right to live independently because if that does not happen, people will not be able to exercise their rights.

On employment, there are organisations that are very well-funded through the Government on issues such as employability. In speaking to these organisations, they argue that if they had long-term dedicated funding, instead of being funded every year, it would be of great benefit as they would know with certainty that the funding was coming. They are rolling out programmes lasting for longer than the funding they receive. They do not feel that enough people who could use their services are aware of them. An awareness campaign on all the various services the Department is funding and providing could make a significant difference to the lives of people who may not necessarily know that the services are available. Joined-up work on employability opportunities throughout the country is needed because we have so many services operating independently and people are not always aware of the great service they are providing.

On access to speech and language therapy, this is a nationwide problem and we have heard about the representations being received by Deputies and Senators. Parts of west Cork are two hours from Cork city and people have to travel to the city for half an hour of speech and language therapy. This short session is so essential and important to these people. Many of the people travelling cannot be in a confined space for a two-hour journey with many stops along the way to attend a 30-minute session. This is likely to be the responsibility of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. It is very important that we focus on these essential services at the point of need. If one speech and language therapist was available for two days a week in rural areas, it would make a great difference. This is one of the points I am hearing most about from my constituents.

My main questions relate to the ratification of the optional protocol and the need to work with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on independent supported living.