Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and her officials for coming in. I apologise I was not here earlier. I was at the CHI, Temple Street, debate in the Seanad with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly.

I share the sentiments that have been expressed here about the Minister of State's absolute commitment to the portfolio and her attempts to try to bring that cohesion and co-ordination into things. It reminded me of 2011 after the crash. That was when my family first really began to try to engage with Departments to try to advocate for services and supports, which had just disappeared. Subsequently, I remember the first time we got through to the then Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. He is now the Taoiseach. We never actually got to speak to the Minister himself but we did get to speak to his public services team. They were not politically appointed people; they were very senior civil servants in the Department of Health. I got through to one of those individuals. Now, I grew up in Finglas and I was in the Army for 12 years so I know what rough is, and this fella was dog-rough. He said to me, "What do you want? Do you want to jump the queue?" I asked him why he was being so hostile and rude to me. I said to him, "I am a fellow public servant and I am just a parent who is anxious about a child." He said, "Oh, so we are best buddies now, are we?" I remember being really shocked at the level of hostility and pushback to even the most routine inquiry about a disability issue.

In 2016 the Government appointed Finian McGrath as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities. I would say that marked a very noticeable change. From around that time when we interacted with different Departments it went from hostility to the beginning of what the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has described as the 'listening ear'. The Minister of State said she wanted action. Shortly after she was appointed in 2020, she very kindly met me in the Merrion Inn - I had never been there before - and I very much got the sense that she was somebody who wanted to do something. I want to put that on the record. Even though we often lament the situation that confronts people with disabilities, I think we are moving in the right direction. Fundamentally, it has to be a fundamental human rights issue. That has to enter the narrative. As the Minister of State said, there has to be a focus on people, not figures.

Regarding toilets and the universal key mentioned by Mr. O'Shea, we have had so many experiences of disabled toilets as a family. When we go into one disabled toilet in July, there will be a huge Santa Claus in the corner because that is where it is stored during the year. It is a mixed bag. Will the changing places campaign be useful? We need to get beyond a slightly larger bathroom with the grip rails and the emergency string. We actually need somewhere for somebody like my son to lay them out and change them. Could the committee ask the head of estates in Leinster House to put a changing places toilet onto the campus here in the lifetime of this Government? A student started as an intern this week from Technological University Dublin who is a wheelchair user and who I imagine might need that sort of support. Certainly, my son who comes in and out of here regularly because he is on my team would need it. We should show an example here.

I am delighted the Minister of State spoke to Accessible Community Transport Southside, ACTS, Vantastic and the Lucan Disability Group because they have all come to meet me separately and their main asks were to have a predictable funding stream.