Ivana Bacik (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. I congratulate them on their appointments and wish them well. I thank them for giving us a comprehensive overview of the work they are doing. There are some positive proposals and developments and it is helpful to have time lines. My first question is about the transition to the new Department. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, outlined the way in which the Department's new remit will incorporate disability services from the Department of Health and responsibility for equality from the Department of Justice. This reflects the reality that disability is more than a health matter. It will reflect a rights-based approach and I welcome that. However, it is a mammoth task. That has been emphasised in previous briefings from the officials. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, spoke about the massive budget. For people with disabilities, it is crucial that the transition is smooth and as swift as possible.

Deputy Rabbitte is aware of an issue I raised with her in a Commencement Matter in the Seanad concerning a child with a serious disability in my constituency of Dublin Bay South and the difficulty we have had getting accommodation for that child, who appears to be falling between different Departments. I am concerned that as a result of the transition, the period within which we see so much budget and so many staff transferring between Departments, people have been left high and dry. That is a major concern and I ask the Minister and Minister of State to be very wary to ensure that people do not get left this way. In the case I raised, and we can speak separately about it, there is a real concern about the transition in that regard.

Second, other members have raised respite care. Clearly, it is a major practical concern for many people. The Minister of State has designated children's services, day services and respite and home support as essential services during the pandemic, but can the Department provide details of the targeted supports which can be provided to services unable to open due to social distancing and other public health guidelines? In respect of respite care, specifically, can we say when community social day care facilities for older persons are expected to reopen and when respite care facilities for older persons and their families will open? Those are the concerns people have.

I have a third question about residential care facilities for persons with disabilities, an issue other members have mentioned as well. This is an issue I have raised in the Seanad and I have met many of those involved, former residents and staff, with St. Mary's Centre Telford, a care home in Ballsbridge run by the Sisters of Charity which is currently in liquidation. There is a major concern that the residents, who are persons with vision disabilities, are effectively being left abandoned and that there is no clear pathway for their future care. I have raised one case and it is a matter of public record, but there are other centres as well. There are reports in the newspapers today of HIQA having concerns about conditions in another care centre in Clondalkin for persons with disabilities. We must ensure a much better continuum of care for persons with disabilities in residential care, particularly where these have been people's homes for many years in some cases. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has spoken about that, but I wished to raise the issue to hear what is the future plan for that.

I welcome the timeframe the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has given for ratification of the optional protocol, as well as the establishment of the disability participation and consultation network and the commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities and disabled persons organisations will have a strong voice in the process. In the mid-term review of the national disability inclusion strategy there was a concern that the findings of the consultation process indicated many people with disabilities were simply unaware of the national disability inclusion strategy. What is the plan for communication and ensuring that people with disabilities will be given the opportunity to have a voice in this process and that we do not see too much bureaucracy? In this sector there are many organisations providing valuable services - many other people have spoken about this - and many of them are staffed by volunteers, yet there is a lack of an overall consistency of care and provision of services and, again, a feeling that too many people are falling between the cracks. The Minister and Minister of State are well aware of that and I appreciate their commitment to improving the situation, but the important point is that we do not leave anybody behind in this process.