Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Minister's staff for the briefing earlier today which was helpful and much appreciated.

I listened carefully to what the Minister said on the Bill, particularly on the important changes to the Comhairle Act which, he said, would strengthen the functions of the statutory body in the provision of high quality information, advice, awareness and advocacy as part of the delivery of a new seamless and customer friendly national information service under one easily accessible and highly visible brand, citizen information. None of us could have any problem with that.

He went on to speak about accompanying sectoral plans and the Education for People with Special Needs Act. This demonstrates the direction in which legislation is going. Unfortunately, when we look at the Education for People with Special Needs Act, we are all aware of the difficulties of roll-out.

Parents of special needs children have problems in accessing school places, speech therapists and so on. Much of the problem is the lack of resources. I listened to what the Minister had to say about resources but it is vague. The issue is whether this Bill will be resourced sufficiently. One speaker mentioned Irish sign language and the problem that it is centred in the Dublin area. Similarly, if one looks at the issue of children with special needs, the national educational psychology scheme is around the Dublin area and the east coast generally, so there are problems of roll-out in that regard.

The Education Welfare Board was established as a statutory organisation and everybody agreed that it was a great idea, but the necessary resources were not provided. Even though that board is statutorily responsible for children attending school, the resources are clearly not there. If this Bill is to work, it comes down to the provision of resources.

The Minister did not mention in the Bill the fact that if one has a disability in Ireland, one is more likely to be poor, unemployed and on welfare. Therefore, the difficulties facing such people are compounded. The ESRI estimates that fewer than one in three potentially eligible claimants had made a claim and been awarded a family income supplement payment. This ties in with the question of advocacy and highlights the fact that people in need of services are not getting them. Advocates for the disability sector say how society impairs people with disabilities. The lack of roll-out of information hampers such people's access to the services they require.

The introduction of a personal advocacy service specifically aimed at clients with disability is particularly welcome. If the required support is there for them, things are clearly going in the right direction. Personal advocates can be invaluable for marginalised and vulnerable people who are seeking their entitlements and understand the criteria applying to them. While I am worried about the roll-out of those personal advocate services, today's briefing has clarified the matter to some extent.

As was mentioned earlier, the Disability Federation of Ireland has called for the establishment of a director of advocacy who would not merely implement and supervise the personal advocacy service, but would also be responsible for linking and delivering a comprehensive system of advocacy, including a personal advocacy service which would play a vital part. It is essential that the new personal advocacy service should complement the other advocacy functions of Comhairle for persons with disability. The Minister can ensure this by extending the functions of the proposed director of the advocacy service, as other speakers said.

Concerns have been expressed about changing the name Comhairle but I do not have a problem with the branding of the organisation. If people wish to change the name, I have no problem with it. I am more concerned about the roll-out of the services provided.

The purpose of the legislation is to improve access to services by vulnerable groups but the ongoing transfer of community welfare officers from the HSE to the Department of Social and Family Affairs is causing concern in many communities. Details on community welfare officers are vague, which is a worry because these are the people who will be rolling out such services. There is a fear that people with disabilities will lose out if such services are no longer provided in their locality. This could result in longer travelling times to access services.

The accountability of the citizens information boards to the House is another question that arises in the context of quangos. Who will respond to parliamentary questions in this regard? Will the Minister, Deputy Brennan, reply to them or will they be passed elsewhere?

Vulnerable people, such as those with disabilities, should be facilitated in participating fully and equally in society. In this regard, the procedures used to apply for the assignment of a personal advocate must be user-friendly. The powers of personal advocates need to be extended to include all places in which people with disabilities reside. The success of this Bill will be judged on the roll-out of services it achieves but it will take time to assess.

I do not have a major problem with the Bill, which represents a positive step forward. We hope to improve it on Committee Stage but I do not think anyone could have a problem with the broad thrust of the legislation. If it improves services for people with disabilities and is rights-based, it will be a positive achievement. Facilities for such people are thin on the ground and at local level we are still dealing with simple matters such as the provision of suitable footpaths and access to housing. Even though legislation has improved, small things can have a big impact on the quality of people's lives, yet we are still trying to catch up, which is a pity.

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