Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Not only is she committed to an inclusive approach but the inclusion for the first time of people with disabilities in the decision making process constitutes anti-discriminatory practice. Service users, their families and the providers of services welcome this approach as it has been absent from the formulation and implementation of social policy through the decades. Pleas by advocates to adopt anti-discriminatory practice have fallen on deaf ears over the years. For this reason, we should not underestimate the commitment the Minister of State has shown in this area. While we all know that stark and difficult budgetary decisions lie ahead, we must commend the inclusive and anti-discriminatory practice at the forefront of the Minister of State's approach to disability. It is not lost on those who work in disability services or the families and individuals who avail of them.

As the Minister of State mentioned, we need a realistic implementation plan for the national disability strategy. Strategy and policy documents have laid on shelves gathering dust for years. This is to no one's benefit. Other Deputies will agree that the Minister of State's approach - she is chairing the group - is to be broadly welcomed.

The HSE's core underlying deficits are disturbing. I sit on the health committee and have seen the black hole in terms of health. It is a difficult situation. I have often spoken at that committee and with parliamentary colleagues about the need for an accounting process that would allow the disability budget to be disaggregated from the quagmire of other health spending. The Minister of State made reference to this. This type of reform is boring and technical and has to do with accounting, software, computers and all of the kind of material about which no newspaper likes to write. However, this is the type of reform of our health services that we need if we are to ensure that money is spent where it is required.

This issue is not aligned with disability services alone. It is equally aligned with mental health, primary care and acute hospital services. We cannot continue to throw good money after bad. Until we see this approach to managing money within the HSE, change will be difficult.

I will reference my experience in my constituency. The Brothers of Charity are active in Waterford city and county. Other Deputies have mentioned them. The Brothers of Charity realise that they cannot continue to practice as they have been doing. Carriglea Cairde Services in Dungarvan has been to the fore in removing people with learning and physical disabilities from institutions and into their communities. This is the type of approach to which the Minister of State and the Government are committed.

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