Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this important Bill which affects a large number of people. The Bill should be rights based in nature but, unfortunately, it raises more questions than it provides answers for about real guarantees for people with disabilities.

This Bill came before the Dáil on a previous occasion and had to be withdrawn. I thought the Government had learned its lesson and had engaged in major discussions with many of the groups involved in this area. All of those groups and every person with a disability requested that the legislation be rights based. The Government has failed to give these people their rights. There is no doubt the Government has not learned its lesson. It has, however, learned lessons about spin doctoring. If the same level of resources, effort and discussion had been invested in the Bill as has been invested in the process of spin doctoring, people with disabilities would have no concerns.

Ours is a sad and sick society. We have had ten years of unparalleled growth and it is an indictment of us that we cannot cater for the need of the less well off in society, namely, people with disabilities who find it difficulty to survive on a day to day basis. Is it not sad that, in light of the amounts of money floating around the economy, we cannot put resources in place for people with disabilities. The people want us to put such resources in place. Everyone witnessed the terrible tragedy that occurred in south-east Asia during Christmas. The Irish people indicated to the Government and the world their desire to provide help to those who need it. People with disabilities need the support of the State. The people do not object to paying their taxes, particularly if they are used to improve the lot of individuals with disabilities. They have proven, through their generosity, that they would not object to the Government putting resources in place for people with disabilities. All that has been forthcoming, however, is this flowery Bill.

Ministers and their PR people have put a spin on the legislation for the benefit of the media and the public and informed everyone about how wonderful it is. When my party has access to the resources, it will ensure that they are spun towards those with disabilities. What happens when the resources are not provided? When it appeared 12 months ago that, for the first time in ten years, the Exchequer would not meet its target and that cutbacks would be needed, the money for those on social welfare payments was reduced. These people are the most needy in our society.

I would not mind if the State had no money. However, it has money and I could find it for the Government in two minutes without placing a burden on those who pay tax. First, I would target those who do not pay tax. I refer to the tax exiles who live outside this country and who fly here to attend race meetings, all-Ireland finals and other sporting events. These people use this country as a place for enjoyment and pay their taxes elsewhere. However, they should be obliged to pay tax here. There is then the horse breeding industry, members of which do not pay tax. Who needs the money most, Alex Ferguson, taxpayers or people with disabilities? Members are familiar with the name of the horse, Rock of Gibraltar, which nearly brought down Manchester United Football Club. However, the horse was not important to the case which revolved around not having to pay tax and the profits involved in the horse breeding industry. The money can be found without an additional burden being placed on existing taxpayers. All we need to do is tax those who can afford to pay.

I have attended many public meetings at which people have protested. I attended a number of meetings in Castlebar on the subject of autism. In many cases, parents sent apologies for not attending. They were not able to be present because their children needed 24-hour care and they could not leave them at home. One could see, on the faces of those who did attend, that they were frustrated and worn down by the fact that the State had not provided them with the support and services they required. Shame on the State and on the people in power, who will not provide such services. All these people are seeking is a small measure of assistance and support from the State and that their children, particularly those with autism, are provided, at the right time and in the right place, with the education they require. If the latter occurs, these children will be able to adjust to and enter society.

Some of the people to whom I refer find it difficult to obtain the most basic services. I will provide an example. Last week a woman who had attended an orthodontic surgeon visited my clinic. The surgeon in question told her that she should go home and that she might be dealt with in 25 years' time. He also stated that he could guarantee that her child would not get gum disease until he or she reached 85 years of age. That behaviour, from a public servant, was insulting. The surgeon — I do not know whether he has a vested interest — then handed the woman a list of private orthodontic surgeons who operate in the area and stated that she might be able to avail of a tax break in respect of the treatment. If we do not ensure that our services are rights based, that is the type of treatment people will receive.

Another issue to which I wish to refer is speech therapy. I understand that there are 170 speech therapists in the State. If these people go on holiday or take sick leave, they cannot be replaced because there is no one available to stand in for them. Speech therapy is one of the most basic of services and there are not enough speech therapists here, particularly in the west. When a therapist leaves the service and enters the private sector, the State finds it difficult to recruit replacements because it does not offer the same level of salary that can be earned in private practice. That is why the service must be rights based. If it is, when a need for speech therapy is diagnosed the person involved would have the right, when the State cannot provide the service, to employ someone in the private sector and oblige the State to pay. If we had such a service, the woman to whom I referred earlier would not have had to listen to smart answers from a public servant who is probably earning €300,000 or €400,000 per year from public and private practice.

People whose children are autistic are obliged to fundraise to send their children abroad to obtain the services they need. I attended a particular meeting at which the people present were lovely and decent but they were also frustrated. They believe they have been left behind by the State, that there is no back-up or support. Is that not sad when we see the level of resources at our disposal? Governments are throwing out money to spin doctors, programme manager and advisers. We see wastage such as that in my county where a new school had to be re-roofed after four years because people had not done their work properly as regards the public service. I would ask that the Bill be withdrawn, but I do not want to do that, because there would then be nothing in place for people with disabilities. However, I urge the Government to be fair to these people and to put the proper amendments in place on Committee Stage. I ask Members from my party to table the necessary amendments to ensure this Bill is rights-based so that people do not have to beg for services.

People come into my clinic who I immediately recognise as having difficulty in getting services for someone for whom they are caring. They are under stress, trying to rear other children and to pay a mortgage and they see the State letting them down. The State has let people down as regards disability in other ways. A quota arrangement was in place whereby a certain number of people with disabilities were to be employed in the public service. Why does the State not prosecute the public servants, councils, health boards and any of its agencies that do not have their quotas in place? Why is the person in charge not sacked or removed from his or her position? If that was done in one county council, health board or Department, I can guarantee that there would be an immediate reaction and the quotas would be filled quickly. If the law states that each Department must take on a certain number of people with disabilities, and if that is not honoured, then action must be taken. If the State will not do it, how can we expect the private sector to take on these people? Action should be taken against the people not doing their jobs, in every Department, county council and health board that has not obeyed the law in this regard.

I have listened to people talking about resources. There will always be people seeking more money for this, that and the other. I challenge the Government to recognise that the electorate wants people with disabilities to be looked after. We have the resources and the money and what is now needed is the will of the Government to deal with this. There is no doubt that every single Member of the House would welcome this Bill if it was rights-based. I urge the Government, even in this, the 23rd hour, to put such an initiative in place. There is no point in saying that if the resources were in place, they would be spent. The Minister for Finance in his budget speech, told us about all the money that is to be put in place for people with disabilities. Another Minister of Finance told us about decentralisation, a year ago. It did not happen. We have had Ministers telling us about all the money to be put in place for infrastructure. It did not happen. I have never heard a Minister for Finance telling the House how much was to be spent on programme managers, advisers or PR, but that money was spent.

I want the people I represent in Mayo to have the services they need. They are not looking for big things. They simply want resources for early diagnoses as regards children so that ailments may be detected at an early stage. They are looking for intervention, but first of all for diagnosis. They want the services and back-up to be put in place for their children of school-going age. In addition, they are seeking a degree of respite for parents caring for children with disabilities. Is it not a simple matter to give someone a break who is under tremendous pressure 24 hours a day, seven days a week? The least we can do is give such people a little back-up by putting the resources in place to give them some respite.

The other matter I am concerned about is job opportunity. It is only right that some of these people get a chance in life and that jobs are made available for them. Fianna Fáil has always been great for jobs for the boys and girls. Can we not have jobs for people with disabilities? That would be the right course in this case.

The Bill is before the House is not the legislation people with disabilities or the public wanted. The Irish public has shown, in the way it has responded, that it wants to look after people that should be taken care of. There is still some Christianity left. The public wants to see people with disabilities getting the services they need. People do not mind their taxes going towards that. Are we not a poor society if we cannot take care of the people that need looking after in this State? This country and Government are great at lecturing on how matters should be dealt with abroad. Let us start at home and take care of the people that need to be looked after, namely people with disabilities. They have waited long enough.

We can say that the resources were not there 30 and 40 years ago. The resources are there now and there never was so much money. Tonight we have the debate on the Dormant Accounts Bill, or what I call the slush fund for Fianna Fáil. Let us take that money. It is neither Fianna Fáil's nor the Government's, but belongs to the people. Let us use that money for people with disabilities. Let us be serious and give them resources instead of promising this or that six months before a general election and delivering here and there. People would love to see that Dormant Accounts fund money being used on people with disabilities.

I have identified where the Government can get the money — from the super-rich not living in the country. The media will not print anything about them because many are involved in business themselves. They are outside this country and lecturing us. It reminds me of Bono who is having two big concerts in Dublin. He should take the money from those concerts and give it to the most needy. It would not mean a thing to him because he will recover it the following day on his music rights. I am proud of U2 as an Irish group, but Bono is great for lecturing. I challenge him to use the money from the concert in Croke Park and give it to charitable organisations abroad or at home. It would mean nothing for him to do that and I hope he will.

I am glad to have spoken on this Bill. I hope the Government will take on board the opinions of the groups it has met, those involved with people with disabilities. They are only looking for their rights and that is a simple matter. People with disabilities do not want to be treated differently. All they want is their right to proper access and services and for the State to treat them equally. That is all I am asking, for people with disabilities.

See this speech in context