Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise that I had to leave earlier to go to the Chamber. I am not a member of this committee. What we have been discussing this morning is very much in line with what we have been discussing at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, of which I am a member. We see the same problems happening. One of the issues that comes to mind is the individualisation of supports for people, which is a long-term ambition of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. That would be backed by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Ms Budayova is from my home town of Tuam. We have been working with her and her husband. She has described the issues her daughter Esther has. They are different from those of other children. The challenges that people face are different.

An Indecon report on people with special needs or disabilities found that costs are between €12,000 and €15,000 per annum on top of whatever people are getting. That issue needs to be addressed and the Government is aware of it. It crosses this committee, the Committee on Disability Matters and the Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Deputies Paul Donnelly and Kerrane spoke about the shortfall in the housing adaptation grant and noted that the grant amount is fixed even though costs are rising. We need to look at that in the round.

When people appear as witnesses before a committee like this and bare their souls to outline what is happening in their homes, it is an indictment on us as politicians that we are not taking better care of them. Unfortunately, there may be some things in political life that we might not be proud of. We really need to take on board what we have heard this morning. As Deputy Ó Cuív said, we have short-term gains coming into the next budget. We also need to try to fix this problem permanently over the next two or three years.

People in rural areas have major problems with transport to get them to hospitals for appointments as well as getting people to mind their other children while they might have to spend three or four hours in a hospital. We take all this for granted when we are not involved in it.

I thank the Chair for allowing me to contribute. I will endorse whatever proposals come from this committee. Perhaps the Chairman could speak to the Chair of the Committee on Disability Matters. Perhaps we could make a joint submission on the budget as a united approach has more impact.

I again commend the witnesses on their bravery in addressing the committee today.