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

To follow on, the NDIS was extended for one year and then when it was seen that a new strategy was not ready to go at the beginning of this year, it beggars belief why it was not extended for another year. Will the new strategy be in place by the end of this year? Ms Dempsey-Clifford said in her opening remarks that there is very slow progress on consultation and it is more about how the strategy should be implemented or put together rather than consulting on its content. Will we have a strategy at the end of this year or is there a date given for when we will have it? It is as if we are operating in a vacuum because there is no strategy. Both witnesses mentioned the different Departments and the DCCs are not meeting. Why are they not meeting? If the actions under the initial disability inclusion strategy that was due to end in 2021 have not all been met, why is work not ongoing to ensure that all of those actions are addressed, partially addressed or addressed in some way or another? It was said the monitoring meetings have been discontinued as well. It is as if everything as come to a standstill and there is a vacuum, so nothing is happening in that vacuum. Both witnesses made reference to the DCCs working and to the different Departments. I think Dr. Hartney said there are ten and they meet separately. Do the ten Departments all meet separately? Is there an overarching body? It was said a Minister and somebody from the Department will attend and they meet quarterly.