Mr. Joe McGrath:

Every DPO should be registered. Regarding employment, once anybody with a disability, intellectual or otherwise, gets the opportunity to be in paid employment, be it part time or full time, he or she is able to contribute to society. I represent the National Platform for Self Advocates, which represents people with intellectual disabilities. If our organisations were funded to do our duty to progress things for us, we would be able to feed into more of these discussions and put more papers out or be consulted at a reasonable time instead of having to take days off work. It is very important that the Government and people in Dáil Éireann take what we say today and implement it with best practice. If there is money to be given to organisations, it should be given to the people in front of this committee today and other organisations it is worth giving money to because a little money helps a lot of people to get their points of view across and ensures they are not reliant. When they come together, as the DPO Network has, to share resources or help themselves promote what they are trying to do, it will be better for all disabled people because if people with disabilities are seen to be working in the community, it is better for their mental health and they make more ties and work friends.

They have more friends and get to more people in the communities where they live, with employment and everything we try to do as organisations. We try to help ourselves and many other people as well where we can, but we do not have the money to help every DPO because DPOs are not funded enough.