Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and her officials for attending. We have a terrible problem relating to children with autism and other special needs getting places. It worries me that we are always fighting until the last minute to get places for people and there seems to be no roadmap or plan in advance. It seems to be constant. I appreciate that the Minister of State is not dealing directly with this but it is a very frustrating issue.

The disability awareness fund amounted to €3.5 million for 2024 to help people with disabilities to get involved in the community through social and cultural events such as sports and so on.

This fund is only for pre-existing projects and must be spent within a 12-month period. Are there any plans to look at that? There are other projects that could be utilised. Are there plans to provide more funding to look at that?

The disability payment is means tested. People who have mental health issues such as schizoaffective disorder continually have to reapply. This is a lifelong condition. Has this really been looked at? Now and again these things come back to people who have clear disabilities and they need to be reassessed. It is very annoying to deal with it. It is absurd that a person who has an arm missing is not deemed eligible for a disability payment. We are told it is happening and it looks that way.

I ask about the resources that are being put into mental health for children. Some young kids are using vapes and some kids are using drugs affecting their mental health. What further actions, preventions or advertising are taking place? Will the Minister of State give us an idea of what the Department is doing?

Is additional funding being provided for marginalised communities such as Travellers? I presume everything is disability proofed; I would certainly like to think so. Are we getting closer now? I know that the optional protocol to the UNCRPD has not been fully implemented. Are there issues the Department needs to address?