Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for allowing me the time to speak. I will ask three or four questions first and indicate who they are for. I ask that witnesses take note of them in order for them to come back to the question, as the timeframe is quite small. If they need me to repeat anything, they can let me know.

Dr. Rath referred to the survey he carried out with Maria Ní Fhlatharta following the 2020 general election. It found that 52% of disabled respondents had encountered barriers to voting. Does Dr. Rath believe there are issues with how we currently evaluate voting accessibility and that it does not tally with disabled people's actual experiences? If so, how can these concerns be addressed?

My next question is directed to all witnesses. Repeated studies have shown that access to education and participation in all aspects of community life is an essential foundation for disabled people's full participation in public and political life. While a handful of representatives across Europe have built a platform through disability rights work which has allowed them to enter politics, many of the traditional routes into politics are still unavailable due to poverty, which Councillor Bailey spoke to extensively, social exclusion and physical access barriers, which have a direct impact on the under-representation of disabled people in public office in all countries, including our own.

Councillor Bailey touched on the broader context in her presentation and on the exhausting administrative and psychological burden placed on disabled people by a labyrinthine application process and our current adversarial system when it comes to accessing supports. What role does this broader social exclusion and difficulty in accessing information about available supports play in hampering disabled people from political participation?

My next question is for Councillor Cronnelly. What supports are in place to assist disabled people to register to vote in their local authority area should they encounter any barriers in doing so? Should their local polling station be inaccessible to them, disabled voters have the right to petition the returning officer for permission to vote at another polling station in the constituency. Is he aware of any targeted resources to ensure that local authority voters are aware of the rights they have in this regard? Are supports available for those who may face challenges in submitting the petition?

I have one more question that is directed at all witnesses. Means testing and other restrictions around disability-related supports and payments have been highlighted in this committee session, as well as in previous sessions, as creating practical barriers and having a chilling effect on disabled people's equal participation in many areas of life, from education and employment to relationships and choices over where and how to live. Could any of the witnesses speak to any issues they have encountered in their work where the current disability support system actively discourages disabled people from full participation in political and public life?