Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will try to be brief. It is great to have the witnesses before us and to have bodies that represent so many people. Many of us have discussed the reasonable accommodation passport scheme. It is an amazing initiative that, it is be hoped, will grow. I noticed, however, between the two sets of representatives, that the issue of awareness and information came up on numerous occasions, which Ms Quinn talked about. It prevents people from admitting they have a disability, if there is a fear factor regarding it and whether it will hold back their progression.

We also have a fear factor in respect of mental health. Someone could have a very simple, short-term episode where he or she is down for a week or two but cannot admit it. I will give an example. If someone is a member of the Defence Forces, has been overseas on tour duty, comes back, decides he or she is a little tired and needs a bit of a break, or says he or she has had any kind of mental health stress, that individual's career progression is gone. He or she will not be handling live rounds or going overseas. We should put that in the context of people with a disability who are going into the workforce and are being judged because of not being able to progress. Ms Quinn raised the issues of the workforce getting older and whether people's confidence depreciates. It is about trying to keep the morale up in pushing people forward to progress to the best of their ability. Yet, it is at the back of people's heads that the further they go, they seem to face falling off a cliff edge. I understand what Ms Quinn said about supports.

Mr. Brabazon and Ms Murphy's submission stated that more than 30% have qualified in the past three years but are still seeking employment. They also referenced the wage subsidy support scheme. It again raises the issue of awareness and information. How do we make that scheme more accessible for employers? That is why the ICTU side of this, because it has such a large membership, is a fabulous opportunity to get it out. This is about giving people equal opportunities. The witness who appeared before the committee prior to this made a very strong statement that just because the individual was non-verbal, he was viewed as being stupid and as not having any talents because he could not communicate. Again, that is about awareness and information for people.

I only have a couple of notes. I am trying to be very good today because I am conscious of time. I am very disappointed that the EU has not supported the likes of the representatives' groups, and others, a little more. The EU is supposed to be about meeting challenges, equal rights for everybody and a level playing field but it seems to be, as Mr. Brabazon mentioned, about everybody fighting for the pot. We cannot seem to get joined-up thinking. While the witnesses are here, I emphasise that, because the unions are so large and their membership is so strong, we have an amazing opportunity. I never heard of that passport system. I have often thought about systems like that because we have people who progress from primary school to secondary school and, hopefully, to third level. They all have different plans but this passport system would work with that as well. When we are talking about awareness, a very simple thing released some time last year, which was similar to the Leap card, was the just a minute, JAM, card. It was a very simple, informative initiative. When I first saw it, I said it was a brilliant idea.

It opens up. The key to this is information because we are all afraid. If we do not have the coping skills to deal with what we are looking at, we retract back and then shut down and do not engage with people and then the whole system falls down. I am delighted to hear what is actually coming up. I would love to follow up on how we can assist in raising the awareness to assist. The wage subsidy scheme should be made simple enough that employers could engage and give opportunities. We have it here in the Oireachtas. Prior to Covid and more recently there are a lot of people who have been integrated into the workforce on the campus here. Their progression even in the last two years has been phenomenal. I can think of one who has gone from zero confidence and being very shy to going out and getting post with a fine, thick Dublin accent - when I say "thick", in Cork it does not mean stupid, it means very large, lest that be taken out of context - and without saying anything, he will ask you "What's the story?" and he knows straight away that you are looking for your post. He has opened up with a bit of a laugh. It is about giving people opportunities.

I will leave it at that but I ask if there is any way that we can assist with that information and awareness to get that out and replicated across all sectors, education, employment and whatever. I think we are on the right path.