Mr. Robbie Sinnott:

I wish to answer some of the questions Senator McGreehan put. In regard to key asks, I agree with Mr. Kavanagh that a register of DPOs is overdue. It has to be under general comment 7 on what constitutes a DPO. Without that how can they have proper funding? How do councils know who to go to? Within the DPOs, some of us are in good seaworthy boats - I will not say yachts - while others are not even in canoes. We are all going in the same direction in terms of what we are doing but some of us are just starting up while others have been at it longer. Where I am going with this is that we should be able to look to the future and say that there are other DPOs and other constituencies clearly not being represented by DPOs. There needs to be a framework in order that they can set up. That needs to be there. That register is important. These are immediate asks. There is a much longer list in general comment 7. I sent that document to the committee, including that, back in October. I can send it again, that is, exactly what general comment 7 states needs to be done in terms of legislation. One thing that can be done immediately is that the "Department of Everyone" needs to send out a memo to all 600 quangos, Departments and so on, letting them know that DPOs need to be prioritised in all consultations and decision-making and to be closely involved. That memo needs to go out. The Department clearly needs to get the memo itself, because it does not even act on that itself. It has to be brought home to the Department that it has to live up to its obligations on behalf of the State under Article 43 and to take them very seriously.

Talking about personal assistants, if I had €3,500 I could buy a Braille note-taker and I could be reading away here on Notes. I could have a digital Braille watch for €400 to time myself, so that I do not run over time. I do not have that. None of our representatives has that.