Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is a Twitter account called Access For All and every morning that group tweets how many lifts are out of service. If we all put ourselves into the mindset of employers we will realise that it is very hard for them, and for other workers. Employers will be constantly thinking that so and so is not in today because a lift is out of order. Access issues are basic and it is incredible to think that people must ring up an organisation 24 hours in advance to say that they want a ramp. Trains should be an accessible form of transport but that is now how it works. In Skerries, the lift is often not working. I think the lift was working this morning but people cannot rely on lifts working, which makes accessing transport, etc., difficult for persons with disabilities. Ms Shakespeare is right that we need joined-up thinking but it must be practical. It is all very well for people to talk about aspirations and how these things make people feel but most of us go to work because we earn money. We like what we get out of work but the money that we get paid makes it that bit sweeter. We must move to a situation where people can know that they will get to work not just occasionally, and not just if the lift Gods smile on them, but every morning. All people must be able to get to work every morning and if accommodations have to be made then they must be made on a cross-government basis. It is really practical stuff that we need to consider as well as the aspirational stuff, which is very important. People get inclusivity and confidence from employment. Practically speaking, if someone rocks up to the train station in the morning and he or she cannot get on the train then there is only so much leeway an employer will give an employee before he or she is going to say that he or she cannot rely on an employee to be at work at 10 o'clock in the morning. That situation is not the fault of any one person, although I could talk about Irish Rail but I will not, but that does hinder people. I have some more questions and I know I will get a chance to ask them at a later stage.