Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

I support amendment No. 93 and I wish to provide some practical reasons regarding why it would be helpful. As a member of Kildare County Council, I was aware of frustration at the long waiting lists for disabled persons grants. People were often informed that they would require an architect to perform certain tasks which ended up costing a great deal of money. I am critical of the amount of money that is available but this is not an excuse to tell people that services would not be provided. This situation, which was expensive and frustrating, was not in the applicants' interests.

Great disparities exist in terms of the money allocated for these grants. Kildare receives the smallest allocation of €5 per capita, while the largest is over €110. This has a direct bearing on the ability of local authorities to deliver services. The manner by which matters are addressed is also important. Bad situations should not be made worse. Provision of certainty that a reply on entitlement will be delivered might form an important component of this legislation.

See this speech in context