Eileen Flynn (Independent)
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It frustrates me so much that I actually feel insulted when I read, "Leave no one behind". We are constantly leaving people behind and the Departments are constantly leaving people behind. Unless we action this out, it means nothing on a piece of paper. It annoys me. Maybe that is because I am from a minority group. I had a conversation with Ms Gilmartin in the audiovisual room. This is not an attack on her personally, but regarding the system around sustainable development goals, Ireland is not reaching its goals. I will provide one example, which I know really well. It links to this issue but it is around the Traveller community. It is good to put on the record that we are having this conversation. In January 2021, there was an outbreak of hepatitis on a halting site in Dublin. That came from dirty water. The council never owned up to it and said it was because of the pipes and the dirty water on the site. It found another problem, it said it was because of a scarf that blocked up the shores. There was no such thing. How can we, in this day and age, get hepatitis from unclean water? We see this in poorer countries, unfortunately. That is my problem with the sustainable development goals. They are not inclusive of all communities.

I understand a lot of work is going on and a group has now been up. A witness said there are 12 representatives in that group. We should look at a community focus and work intensely with a community, for example, people with disabilities, and do 12 weeks. These reports have very little action in them. A witness said last week that she was sick to the teeth of reports that were not implemented and coming to the committee and trying to have her voice heard as an activist for implementation. We need to focus on climate change and how it will impact people with disabilities and people from other ethnic minority groups. When you are really poor or you are just trying to live your life day by day, not having personal assistance and struggling every day, you do not give a damn about climate change. My colleague, Senator Ruane, said that when you are in the pits of society, you do not care because you have bigger problems. The last thing on your mind is climate. I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, along with National Traveller Money Advice & Budgeting Service, NTMABS, about how we must be inclusive of people from different communities in the discussion around climate change. The sustainable goals are looking at bringing people in but we need a bigger conversation around climate action and climate change because people are not included in these conversations. Disabled people definitely are not included in these conversations. I would like to hear the witnesses' opinions on that.

Public transport, instead of getting better, is getting worse. Mr. Walshe mentioned e-scooters, which are not regulated. When I get off the bus in Ballyfermot, I have nearly been killed by them. There is no law really around them. That has an impact on people. I saw in Killybegs that disabled people are treated very much like Traveller people. They are expected to police themselves. I will use Killybegs as an example. I think there are only two spaces for disabled parking. An activist there goes around himself and tells people they are not meant to park there and are meant to leave that spot for a disabled person or someone with a pass. It is as simple as that. It is people policing themselves. We must get people to appear before the committee. I do not know which Minister is responsible for making sure there are equal parks for our children. One minute it is the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, then it is the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. There are so many Ministers but we keep kicking things down the road. We are leaving thousands of people behind. Regarding climate, we need to get the Ministers before the committee. We need to see what the Minister for Transport is doing to protect people with disabilities on our roads and what the plan is going forward and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. If anything, that is what I want out of today's committee hearing.