Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)

I thank Mr. O'Neill. Ms Murrihy spoke very poignantly about the impact of the school placement crisis and its impact on families. The statistics she outlined on the distances families are forced to travel to school are very stark. There is the dislocation from communities, restricted practices, and the impact on attainment and general well-being among children with additional needs. I thank her for sharing her own experience as well. I worked in the mental health services in Cork previously and that experience gave me some insight over the years into the neglect by the State of adults with intellectual disabilities who sometimes end up in psychiatric settings where their mental health often deteriorates further. Many of those people were living with ageing parents who were unable to cope or maybe living alone in precarious circumstances in the community, at risk of exploitation. This is a very big question and might be more of a sociological or political one, but does Ms Murrihy, Ms McDonagh or anyone else on the panel have any thoughts on how we have gotten to such a drastic state of affairs in this country when it comes to upholding the rights of people with disabilities?