Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise that I had to pop out for a few minutes to speak in the Dáil but I heard the witnesses' opening statements. I welcome them to the meeting. I apologise if I ask a question that was asked in my absence.

If we are serious about the proper implementation of the UNCRPD, about giving disabled people a proper choice, and about ensuring they can access independent living, personalised budgets are the way to go. There was a demonstrator project. I do not think the review of it has been completed. It certainly has not been published. We are a great country for pilots but pilots that go on and on and sometimes are not reviewed so no lessons are learned from them about how to proceed. Only a small number of people ever experience the pilot. Will the witnesses give an update on what is happening with that project? That would give disabled people real choice about how they spend their money, for example, to source a PA or home support or to access services and whatever else they might need. It should not be complex and should not be tied up in bureaucracy. One of the complaints I receive from those who apply for a PA service is that the whole process can be onerous in that people have to prove their need and if they are lucky enough to have a certain number of hours approved, they have go about trying to employ someone and ensure that person is registered for PAYE and so on. I am aware some organisations will assist with that, but they are not everywhere. I know someone in Cavan who was looking for a PA service and had to source a company in Donegal to employ the PA for them. It is important to ensure the process does not get tied up in bureaucracy. It should be easy and straightforward for the people to access and use.