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

I thank Ms Whitmarsh, Ms Hart and Ms Holmes for their powerful testimony this morning. Those of us on the committee are here each Thursday morning hearing testimony from families, carers and people with additional needs. This morning's contributions have been very forceful and very strong. As Chair of this committee, members of which have a great passion for improving services and standards of living for people with disabilities, their carers, their communities and their families, I will say that this morning's testimony has challenged us greatly. As I said when I was appointed Chair of this committee, there is no doubt in my mind that a future Taoiseach of this country will have to apologise in the Dáil Chamber on behalf of the State for the services provided for people with intellectual disabilities. This already happened to some degree last week with regard to the two kids who were awaiting second level education. There are challenges out there and difficulties and obstacles that must be faced. Some members spoke about it not being a question of money. There is a certain attitude out there. Ms Whitmarsh alluded to it when she spoke about the world staring when she has her son with her. Over the past decade alone, we have come an awful long way as a society with regard to social issues but we have to go further immediately with regard to people with additional needs. We have to challenge society to do that.

Ms Whitmarsh talked about the therapist assistants or assistant therapists - whatever the term is. That title does not exist within the HSE but it is a powerful thing we should all be pursuing. Special needs assistants in schools have made a great impact with regard to school services. It is something that needs to be done. I meet parents and I see on a personal level the challenges and roadblocks that exist. There is no doubt the Covid pandemic has had an awful impact. The two years of the pandemic and the first lockdown had a very big impact on people with additional needs. The July provision is coming up soon. There is adequate funding for it but the system is not capable of delivering it. It is not an issue of funding but that the system is not capable of delivering this provision. It is the same in respect of therapist recruitment. If a multinational company were coming to Ireland, would we be able to go to the embassies and recruitment fairs to bring in the necessary workers? What do we have to do? Do we have to pursue the concept of therapist assistants so that more people of all ages can get more therapies? Those are the challenges.

Respite services were available four or five years ago but they are now an absolute luxury. It is now family funerals and different seismic events in families' lives that are being covered by respite care. That was not the case before and we must return to that. The State is and has been failing people with disabilities and we have to challenge that.

As a committee, we are charged with ensuring the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities is being implemented, but we have to ensure the optional protocol is not being debated in any Department or subject to any administrative measures. We have to make sure we are stoking that fire.

I thank Ms Holmes, Ms Whitmarsh and Ms Hart for their evidence and testimony this morning. I ask them not to be strangers to us. If they think we are failing in our job as a committee or if there is additional information they think we need to have, they should feel free to send it to the extremely hard-working team behind us who are doing an amazing job. I thank members for their sincerity in what they are doing. I ask them to reflect on what the witnesses have said to us. We will try to raise these issues at every possible level. I genuinely believe that, if enough noise is made, there is capability to deal with them. As I said before, it might not be enough to bang the drum. The percussionists need to get on the stage to make sure we are highlighting the issues the witnesses are facing every day. I again thank the witnesses, the members and our team for being here this morning.