Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses. It has been enlightening. I was listening in the office to the presentations. I was struck by a few things that I have probably been saying myself, but not saying loud enough. A strategy is driven by an implementation plan, and if you do not have implementation plans you are in trouble because all you have is paper. I know the HSE is still putting young people into nursing homes because it does not have any other place to accommodate them. I know of a case where a young person was going to be located in a setting probably 90 minutes away from their parents, because there is nothing in Galway to help with accommodation. I know of another young man with an acquired brain injury and he is in a nursing home for the past six or seven years. Those are two examples.

Senator Clonan asked if things are getting better or worse. What is happening is that things are getting more complicated. There are more rules, regulations and policy documents to be fulfilled. Those who are genuinely trying to help people are finding there is a huge blockage of paperwork and bureaucracy. One quick example is where a house has to be adapted or a new house built to facilitate someone with a disability or an acquired injury. With the housing adaptation grant, the income of somebody else living in the house, like the parents, is taken into account. They may then not qualify for a grant. As Ms Morris has said, that is against what we are trying to do, which is adapt a house for the specific needs of a particular individual.

This also comes back to individualisation. I come across cases, and I know that no two cases are the same in terms of their needs. Where someone has an acquired injury, or if parents have a child with a disability, I find that the biggest problem is they do not know where to go. They are lost in a fog and do not know where to go, or how to try and find somebody who will help them. Oftentimes they arrive into our constituency office stressed out and emotional. They cannot even think straight because they are so tied up in all of this.

I know Mr. Alford has come out of the congregated setting. What are his priorities for other people coming out in terms of assistance they need? I would also like to know more about somebody with an acquired injury who gets rehab and is then sent home or somewhere else. There is no follow-up, as I have seen in the presentation. What can be done about that?

We also have to put pressure on to get the implementation plan in place for the national housing strategy for disabled people. Looking back at the past 20 years, what happens is that we are pushed into trying to do something for people. However, we start off with a working group, a steering group, a strategy and then it falls away. They are all delayed in their publication. It therefore seems as if they are trying to frustrate people and tell them to go away.

My final point is that I do not class people as having disabilities. They have different abilities. We need to get to a place where people can fulfil their ability. It is important that they are given the right to do that. I think about the young man drinking his pint of Guinness, or even Brian down in Ennis. That is a great story. The problem is that it should be normal. It should not be an exception. People should not have to come in to tell the committee about these exceptional things that have happened. We should be saying that this is happening every place. I thank the witnesses again.