Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

None of the Deputies present would disagree on what our main objectives should be in terms of people with disabilities. We all recall when Ireland hosted the Special Olympics in the mid-2000s. It was an extraordinary time for our country. Our then President, Mary McAleese, regularly refers to it as "Ireland at its superb best". What made it particularly special was how communities opened up and took in athletes, their coaches and their families from across the world. Some people viewed this as a great act of generosity on Ireland's part. In many ways, it was, but we as a country were the ones who gained. For the first time, the scales fell from our eyes and the event helped to challenge some widely held misconceptions about disability. Importantly, it challenged prejudice. It asked questions of the sort of paternalistic way that we as a society viewed people with disabilities. We realised that there was nothing special about people with disabilities playing a full part in our community and that, far from being extraordinary, it should be considered to be the norm in any republic worth the name. We came to focus on possibility, not disability, and on potential, not problems.

However, do we as a State show true solidarity with all of our citizens, treat everyone as equals and view everyone as a valuable resource who can contribute to society or do we treat such people as an issue to be addressed? As I stated initially, there will be little division over what we should be doing - we must do all in our power to assist, where required, with independent living for people with intellectual or physical disabilities. Despite the awful economic circumstances, some progress has been made and continues to be made in this respect.

That said, it would be remiss of me not to put on record my disgust at the way in which some people who have access to personal assistants were treated by the State just a few short months ago. Clearly, this issue has been resolved, but I was horrified at the time, and not just at the attempt to cut off a lifeline that enabled people to play a full and active role in society and the economy.

A lack of understanding was expressed by some who should know better of the function of personal assistants. It is not a variant of the home help service; it is much more than that. While there will always be a requirement for institutional or group services, we have begun the journey of moving towards a more individualised and person-centred model which will avoid the inevitable pitfalls of the one-size-fits-all approach that has been endemic for a long time. However, in cases where residential care is required, it must be of the highest standard and the standards should be monitored and maintained. The HIQA, which has already proven its merit and shown its teeth on the monitoring of nursing homes, will have primary responsibility in this area. It has already provided draft national standards to be finalised in the new year and backed up with legislation to which we all look forward.

When we came into government we pledged to consult with all interested parties to publish a plan for the national disability strategy. That process is already under way. The Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, has already formed a strategy implementation group and convened a disability forum under the aegis of the National Disability Authority, NDA. Ireland has made progress in how we treat our citizens with disabilities. In fairness to my colleagues opposite, much of the progress was made on their watch and they must be commended for it. It is our task now to continue that work and improve upon it. We cannot allow any slippage at this juncture. We must continue to move forward. I believe that under the leadership of the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, we will do that.

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