Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In my local area - I have to mention Carlow again - if someone lives in a quite rural area and the service does not have Garda-vetted and trained drivers, there is no plan B. In County Carlow, there some very rural areas. Has the Department ever explored having a volunteer system whereby someone with an accessible vehicle would be able to assist and be available on a part-time basis, perhaps once a week? For all the world, it is like meals on wheels. In Carlow, we have many meals on wheels services that people volunteer to do. Do we need to look at this as well for transport?

A submission that was made in respect of the report highlighted that people with disabilities who have a long-term illness card but not a medical card - I have a major issue with that - and who do not receive any payment from the Department of Social Protection should have access to the free travel scheme. Can the Minister of State see potential to extend the free travel scheme in this regard, particularly as there needs to be access to the scheme for those people? The Minister of State is aware of epilepsy as well. I met a group that is canvassing on this for those with epilepsy. I am wondering what scope there is for that.

On one or two personal stories, I am mindful that I would have always brought this up when it comes to transport. Bagenalstown is part of my constituency. Irish Rail left the train station there unmanned. On behalf of people with wheelchairs, we protested for a day. We stood there. Wheelchair users or people with disabilities could not use toilet facilities and they found it very hard to get on the train without that bit of support. That is happening across the country. Irish Rail seems to be closing down the smaller train stations. As the Minister of State said, and I totally agree, that is not joined-up thinking. The wheelchair users to whom I spoke were devastated that this facility that they had was taken from them.

Today, I visited the Carlow branch of the Irish Wheelchair Association, which is an excellent association. As the Minister of State will be aware, they are going out on strike on 17 October with section 39 organisations. Hand on heart, I can only say that section 39 organisations do not want to be doing this. They really do not, but they have no choice. I spoke to some of the users in the Irish Wheelchair Association and they tell me that their concern is that they will have no transport that day to get to the facility and have their normal routine. As I said, I totally understand where the section 39 organisations are coming from. I have no issue with that, but I am wondering how do we look at this. What can we do to support and help these? From speaking to some of the lovely people there, I am aware that the Irish Wheelchair Association branch in Carlow is like a home to them. They go in there a few days a week. They have a social aspect. They become a big family. I am wondering what can we do.

When I was there at the meeting today, they were telling me that many of their services have been reduced, also due to bus transport. They cannot recruit people to drive the buses. There seem to be issues across the country with this.

There are a good few questions there on which I want to know whether the Minister of State can come back to me. I again welcome her opening statement, particularly where it refers to the results from Census 2022 that one in five people in Ireland reported living with some form of a disability. We need to step up here.

The other issue I want the Minister of State's commitment on, and she has given it there, is the mobility allowance. I have had so many people on to me about that. I note the Minister of State addressed it here and is saying that she is working on it. That is another issue for me.

I am aware that the Minister of State is working on a new national disability strategy. That will be vital. The Minister of State faces huge challenges. We need a lot more funding, I can say, for the people in County Carlow who I represent, the work that they do and the amount of people who are using the services that feel they need more.

Even this is another one now. I brought this up again because I am so passionate about it. I had a family come to me a few weeks ago. This man wanted to apply for a hackney licence. Like that, Carlow County Council said "Yes, no problem." Therefore, I went to the NTA and it said "No."

This particular man lives in rural Carlow and he services a lot of people with a disability or who may not be mobile. They have no other form of transport. We are in rural Ireland; we have no transport. What can we do to get that joined-up thinking when we know we need it? Carlow County Council said we needed it, yet we are told we do not need it. I thank the representatives for their opening statements. I know their commitment.