Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Naughton and Dr. Keogh for their evidence this morning, and I thank our team. They spoke about various countries and the humanitarian issues that are facing people with disabilities. What is very much before us at present is people with disabilities coming from Ukraine. There are also many other countries the witnesses work with. I was in Burkina Faso some time ago and saw people with disabilities on the street, abandoned and in very difficult situations.

I have been reflecting on the evidence the witnesses have given this morning. When Covid-19 struck in March 2020, people with disabilities and their families and carers were almost abandoned by the State for the first complete lockdown. The services that were in place, the service providers, the backup, the respite care and so forth formed one of the areas where everything was closed through lockdown, and those who are most vulnerable have always suffered the most. In Ireland, which is a relatively wealthy country in terms of providing services, and across the globe, when a humanitarian crisis hits, be it a pandemic, war, famine, flooding or whatever, the most vulnerable are always the most at risk. We need to be able to highlight that and to put it at the very forefront of the discussions that are happening. The issue is that when the crisis hits, the most vulnerable are the people who are the most affected. In July, August and September of 2020, when the real issues of the first lockdown were highlighted, people with disabilities were the people who were hit the hardest during that part of the pandemic in terms of isolation and human carnage, along with the mental health issues that followed it. The witnesses' evidence has been very worthwhile. Do they wish to comment on that?