Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. I apologise for not being here for their presentation. I was another meeting but I read it. I have a few questions relating to the whole area of employability. In County Limerick, where I am from, we have the EmployAbility service but it does not work for everybody with a disability. Sometimes with the services it provides, one box does not fit all types of disabilities. How can we broaden the remit of the services that are offered? My next question relates to a family I have been dealing with recently where the mother was the main carer to the child who has a disability. When I say child, it is somebody in their 30s. The mother ended up in hospital and will be there long term. The person with the disability has had to move to a care centre in County Tipperary, even though they are from Limerick. Every day they were going to their place of employment, which was around disability. They loved it. They do not have that quality of life now because they are so far away from where they were working. Their family are more than one hour away from where they are now living. How do we try to increase that level for a better quality of life for people with disabilities? While a disabled unit or living accommodation cannot be put up at every street corner, I am not sure examining it regionally is the right decision.