Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. It is great to see them all and have them present at the meeting. Every week, I look forward to these committee meetings because we learn so much. We get so many punches to the gut and I am often upset and overwhelmed by how people are forced to live their lives in this country. I thank our guests for being such strong advocates for their loved ones and themselves.

My first question is for Mr. McLoughlin and Mr. Doyle. I was interested in what Mr. Doyle said about the family or guardian liaison office. It goes to what Mr. McLoughlin was saying about the lack of future planning. Our birthdays come around every year and we all get older. In regard to that future planning, what are the blockages in the HSE and other service providers for our guests and their children in regard to planning for the future? This is important. We will not be around for our families forever. Do the blockages relate to resources and capacity or is it just a classic case of it being all right on the night, trying to get as much as possible out of families until they are completely worn out, and we will deal with the matter when it is at crisis point? Unfortunately, that seems to be the case.

What are our guests' thoughts on the models for progressing disability services and improvements in that regard?

Mr. Harris spoke about the hesitancy or failure to move from the medical model to a social or rights-based model. You would think the HSE, of all organisations, would understand the difference between someone being sick and someone needing therapy to empower themselves to be their better self. They are very different. What are the blockages in the system in regard to changing that mindset and creating more collaboration with the DPOs and the people who advocate best for themselves?