Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our witnesses. Reading the citizens' assembly report the one thing that struck me was that citizens did not believe in the entrenched level of poverty that people with disabilities live with. If this is the case it cannot be justified by the State. This came across very loud and clear in the report. I want to touch on several areas. As it stands there is broad agreement among all political parties and Independent politicians that specific service supports and resources need to be put in place for people to be able to live independently. At the same time we see these chronic blockages to this happening. There appears to be an institutional inability to listen to those with a disability and to value the voices and words of those who live with disability and who love people with disabilities as to what it is their needs are. Independent Living Movement Ireland will come to the Oireachtas next week for an event on personal assistants. I hope it is well attended. It is critical that work on this is done.

Ms Ní Fhlatharta touched on the pathways for people to be able to live independently. At this point have we any pathway that works functionally? Has any pathway in existence, which has been designed with a disabled person in mind, delivered for somebody with a disability? The area of institutionalisation is a very important part, particularly with regard to people becoming institutionalised in their own homes. One of the opening statements mentioned a take-it-or-leave-it attitude that is sometimes seen by those with disabilities. I ask Ms Ní Fhlatharta to comment on this from the perspective of a younger person and as somebody who, as has been mentioned, ages out of the disability payment.

Domestic violence and abuse against people with disabilities have been referenced. We know the statistics of those with disabilities and their experience of domestic abuse, domestic violence and gender-based violence. What interaction have the groups had with the Minister and the Department on the upcoming strategy on domestic and gender-based abuse?