Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. This legislation has had a convoluted history and we should now acknowledge the fact that is being placed on the statute book. I made the point last year that we were approaching this in the wrong way, dealing with the legislation while simultaneously receiving submissions from groups appearing before the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, of which I am a member. I am happier now that some of the submissions have been dealt with. We have had an opportunity to listen to the groups and to deal with the correspondence we have received. I do not mean to be patronising when I applaud the efforts of the various organisations which took the trouble to lobby the committee by addressing it and bringing certain material to its attention. I hope my comments will be taken sincerely because it was important that the organisations took such action.

I note that Mr. John Dolan of the Disability Federation of Ireland, which was particularly helpful in that regard, is in the Gallery. Mr. Dolan is a former colleague from our time together on the Eastern Health Board, the South-Western Area Health Board and the ERHA. I often mention in the House that my life experiences inform my political beliefs. For example, I had the opportunity to work with people from various groups when I was a member of certain organisations. I always consider that my time on the various health boards was a tremendous experience. People like Mr. John Dolan and his colleagues always helped people like me to understand disability issues, which was very important.

I acknowledge the work in this area done by Independent Deputy Finian McGrath, who I have known for a long time. When I was the press officer of the National Youth Federation in Dominic Street, I was aware of his work as a well-known progressive and pioneering principal of a primary school on Dorset Street.

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