Mr. Ivailo Kalfin:

It is not only an Irish problem; it is a problem across Europe. We have some good practices but this is a problem for people with disabilities across Europe. As part of my personal experience in my home country of Bulgaria I was dealing with these issues at one point. The whole concept in many European countries is wrong. I am not talking specifically about Ireland but am making a general point about what is happening in Europe. The concept is based on providing more means to people with disabilities and their families but actually there is a spiral of effects. When there is a person with a disability in a family, the whole family suffers because they cannot properly work, their income is lower and so on. What is the solution chosen by many countries? They just increase different benefits for people with disabilities but that does not solve the problem. The good policies, where we see them, are those that integrate, that take people with disabilities out of their homes whenever possible and make them socialise. When they meet other people, they try to work so this is very much related to existing affordable and accessible public services including good transportation, adaptation of workplaces, training and addressing particular needs. In the countries that are very successful in this area, it is done through all of the available public services rather than through benefits and simply providing more money. The final goal is to socialise people with disabilities as much as possible and not to leave them at home to fight with their disabilities and their problems. Disability is a problem for the whole family. Another big issue is the care of these people. About 80% of the European population is involved in care and in most cases, this is care for family members. Think about the time devoted to that. If it could be organised differently, these people could be really valuable to the labour market