David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

—affirming the rights of people with disabilities as equal citizens of the State;

—supporting the recent call by the members of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities for the immediate publication of the Disability Bill and the acceleration of their programme for positive change in the provision of services;

—noting the firm and explicit commitments in the programme for Government to:

—complete the programme of expansion of appropriate care places for people with disabilities, with, in particular, the ending of the inappropriate use of psychiatric hospitals for persons with intellectual disabilities; and

—complete consultations on the Disabilities Bill and will bring the amended Bill through the Oireachtas and include provisions for rights of assessment, appeals, provision and enforcement;

—noting the lack of progress in both areas and the evident unwillingness of the Government to bring in truly rights-based legislation;

—conscious that there is a continuing and growing crisis in the legitimate demands of people with disabilities for appropriate and responsive housing, employment, residential care, respite care, training and education services;

—aware of the number of families under extreme stress and hardship as a consequence of coping with intellectual and other disabilities;

—aware of the incidence of poverty and high levels of unemployment among people with disabilities; and

—believing that there is systemic failure in the practical provision and delivery of support and services to many thousands of people with intellectual, physical and sensory disability and aware that much of the investment in disability services is eaten up by the need to cope with emergencies, and that service providers are unable to plan for new services in any area;

calls on the Government to:

(a) immediately bring forward the Disability Bill; and

(b) at the same time, to convene a disability summit of all stakeholders in the disability movement, each of whom would be entitled to attend and participate as equal partners.

This summit and national debate should be held in public, and it should consist of representative bodies who advocate for people with disabilities, State agencies, including the NDA, service providers, social partners and policy makers, including both Government and the Oireachtas;

the summit, which could operate in plenary and committee sessions, should have an independent, agreed and high level chairperson, and should last no longer than a month;

the Government would be required to place before the summit a detailed set of plans, across all relevant Departments and public bodies, with a view to achieving agreement and consensus on the following objective:

—a national strategy for the progressive realisation of rights to provision over an agreed timeframe, setting in place the capacity-building measures necessary, identifying the capital and current resources needed and preparing a plan to eliminate all waiting lists for services within three years and including:

—a national accommodation and support strategy for people with disabilities, including facilitating liaison between local authorities and voluntary and State agencies which support people with mental illness and the young chronic sick;

—a national process to standardise the application of DPG, including the provision for 100% grant aid where this is necessary;

—adequate resources for local authorities to fully implement the Barcelona Declaration;

—a cost of disability allowance; and

—the provision of education in an appropriate setting with the necessary and appropriate services for children with special educational needs.

I wish to share time with Deputies O'Sullivan and Cuffe.

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