Michael Mulcahy (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome this Bill and the Minister to the House. I thank him for the Government's commitment to both the Bill and the entire national disability strategy. The Minister will agree that any society should be judged on the manner in which it treats those who are less fortunate or more vulnerable than others, such as the elderly, children and people with disabilities. While Ireland is coming from a low base, much has improved and hopefully much more will improve in future.

I believe that, when enacted, the Citizens Information Bill will provide a valuable tool to people with disabilities. For the first time, they will have access to dedicated professional personal advocates, who will be able to represent them before all the institutions of the State and to ensure they receive all their entitlements. This is a welcome step forward. In recognising this, I also wish to recognise those volunteers who provided such a service for years, possibly on an ad hoc or voluntary basis, in a quiet and unsung manner. I hope they will continue to be involved in such an important area of activity.

It is important that the personal advocates are well trained. While there may be some provision for it in earlier legislation, the Bill itself does not go into great detail regarding the training of personal advocates. They should undergo a rigorous training procedure in order that they can both properly represent their clients and be professional with a complete knowledge of the range of services available to people with disabilities.

My second point pertains to the definition of disability. I understand it has been debated for a considerable time and I have no problem with the definition before the House. Does this definition include elderly people who are infirm? I refer to those who are not actually sick but who may be in their late 80s or 90s. If one considers the definition before the House, such people might well qualify. I suggest that infirm people in their late 80s or 90s are people with a restriction in their capacity "to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment".

I hope the Minister understands my point because, from time to time, many elderly people genuinely require an advocacy service that is almost on a similar basis to that for people with disabilities. The emphasis should be on achieving results on the ground. There is no point having many personal advocates if results are not achieved. I will provide some practical examples. In my constituency, elderly people or those with a disability who need a simple handrail in their house can face a wait of between six months and two years before an occupational therapist is sent by the Health Service Executive. Thereafter, it can take two to three years before the installation of the handrail in question. This is ridiculous and I draw the attention of the House to this issue. I do not make a political point in this regard and hope for cross-party acknowledgment of this issue.

The system for handrails is farcical and it should not take four years to install one. It should be a simple matter in which, for example, a general practitioner certifies that a handrail is required and a quick and easy method of installing one is undertaken. I ask the Minister to become involved in this matter as a bureaucratic quagmire between the Departments of Social and Family Affairs and Health and Children appears to be in operation. Results are not being achieved on the ground. There is no point having personal advocates to state that a person needs a handrail if it takes four years to install.

Much progress has been made, certainly in Dublin, and many bus routes have switched to being accessible to the disabled. I recently helped to secure such a route in Ballyfermot. However, many routes in Dublin are not yet accessible to the disabled and a deadline should be imposed. I ask the Minister to liaise with the Minister for Transport in this context and to state that, within two to three years, all modes of public transport in Dublin city will enable access to the disabled. When I succeeded in introducing such a bus route to Ballyfermot, I met someone who had not left home for ten years because they were alone and in a wheelchair which could not be brought on to a bus. This is not acceptable in any civilised society.

While I am in favour of personal advocates, there must be real change. In the area of public transport — the Minister is interested in this issue himself — small changes can have a major impact. The Luas is disabled access-friendly and is a great success, as are many other modes. However, regarding the buses, both in Dublin and nationwide, CIE, Bus Éireann and anyone who supplies bus services in this State should be informed that a deadline of two to three years has been imposed, after which all buses must be accessible to the disabled. This is what I mean by results on the ground.

I welcome the change of name from Comhairle to the Citizens Information Board, which is a good idea. Much more action is required to deal with practical issues. I am also glad the Bill contains several appeal mechanisms as some people who may be turned down will be unhappy about it and consequently will wish to lodge an appeal.

While the Government's budget in this regard has been increasing exponentially, this work must continue. As I noted at the outset, one measures the quality of civilisation within a society by how it helps those who cannot help themselves. This is a tremendously important area. We cannot simply say that every problem will disappear with the introduction of personal advocacy personnel. There must be a parallel track approach. The changes on the ground must be paralleled by changes in the law and in enforcement procedures. I look forward to the day when we can stand up and say we are at the top of the league in Europe in terms of the way we help people with disabilities.

Attitudes have undoubtedly changed for the better in Ireland. Resources have also changed and the number of people with disabilities involved in all aspects of society has increased considerably. The older attitudes appear to be dying out but there is much more to be done. We should be very ambitious in this regard. We are increasing our overseas aid budget significantly, a move I support, and I hope we are now significantly increasing the funding available to disability groups. I very much support the Bill. I thank the Minister for putting it before the House and wish him every success on its successive Stages.

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