Mr. Brendan Lennon:

I will respond to Deputy Buckley's comment on the impact of making footpaths accessible in his local town and how that improved not just the health but the general quality of life and well-being of some individuals. If we do not have a real understanding and a paradigm and cultural shift right across Government on these things, it will not work. When the footpath gets broken and is not repaired by the local authority, it cannot be used.

If the Garda allows people to park on the footpath, it will not be of any use. If the State continues to block progress, as was recently done in regard to Robert Sinnott, a blind man, it will not work. Mr. Sinnott brought a case to the High Court, the judgment in which was delivered at the end of March. He asked to be allowed vote in secret and without the assistance of a polling officer. That would be a relatively simple and inexpensive measure to implement. It is directly referenced in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. The case went on for several years. Three days before the final hearing in the High Court, the Minister introduced regulations to allow blind people to vote in secret without the assistance of a polling officer. That was only done where the Minister and the Attorney General, who was a co-defendant, were facing the abyss.

The same thing is being done if we are saying that we are committed to the UNCRPD but are only looking at issues at the last moment or trying to cut back on commitments in new legislation that would be consistent with the UNCRPD such as the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill which is currently before the Seanad. A provision in the original Bill that would allow deaf people to access private services, such as those that were earlier discussed, is being ripped out even though it is totally consistent with the provisions of the UNCRPD to enhance the health and well-being of all citizens, including those with disabilities, by allowing them to participate and removing barriers, a step which would ultimately negate the need for a definition of disability and a label of disability.