Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I pay tribute to Deputy Finian McGrath for the introduction of this Private Members' motion and congratulate him on the work he has put into placing it on the Order Paper for the House. In a modern society, it is sad that Members are obliged to discuss motions such as this which call for the protection of the disabled, for a halt to the cuts in their income and payments and for help for them to allow them to live independently and to steer away from institutionalisation, as well as calling for them to be given their rights as equal citizens in this land. However, it appears as though this is what Members have come to. Has the Government really stooped so low that it must pinch the pockets of these vulnerable people to pay for the mistakes of the better off? In the recent past, there have been cuts to personal assistance that meant disabled people were obliged to sit out overnight outside Leinster House in protest before the Government reversed that barbarous decision. This was followed by a cut to the respite care grant and now, most recently, by the slashing of the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grants. Disabled people simply are wondering what will be next. In recent days, I received a letter from a disabled person from my constituency who is a double transplant patient suffering from cystic fibrosis. He wrote that he dreaded to see the postman coming or to turn on the radio to hear what will be cut next. The loss of the mobility allowance will mean his ability to live independently will be curtailed severely. Following the decision of the Government to slash such mobility payments, all 5,000 people who are in receipt of them, all of whom have disabilities and need the payments in order to leave their houses, will lose up to €280 per month. This targeting of the most vulnerable people in our society is an absolute disgrace.

It is highly unlikely, perhaps even impossible, that within the next three months, when these payments are due to end, the Government will have devised and implemented a public transport strategy that will take into account the transport needs of all, even those with disabilities. Moreover, even if the review is completed within the next few months, it still will be a long time before changes on the ground become evident. The people who are being targeted in this instance are individuals who are unable to use public transport and for those who need to adapt their vehicles for driving. What are these people supposed to do while the Government awaits yet another of its infamous reviews? For people in remote areas, such as County Donegal, the consequences will be disastrous. I have been contacted by numerous constituents who are worried sick that they will lose their mobility allowances, as well as by some who were about to apply but now cannot and are devastated by that. For them, they will be housebound because public transport, for those who can use it, is non-existent in Donegal, even before one considers those who cannot access it because it is not disabled-friendly. The plan of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, will neither fix this nor solve this problem. People with disabilities cannot be ignored or neglected.

The Government cannot force people to stay in their homes. It must allow people who are eligible to apply for the limited supports that are available. The Department and the Government have had years to resolve this mess. It is their, not disabled people's, mess to resolve.

The Department must establish a scheme that is legitimate and allows for all people who are eligible to apply for mobility payments to do so. It must retain the personal assistant service and provide the supports, including educational supports, that are necessary for disabled people to be truly equal citizens. It must also adequately support those who are caring for disabled people. Not only does providing the means to allow disabled people to live independently give them a better quality of life and recognises their contribution to our society, it also saves money in the long term compared to the cost of the institutionalisation that would be necessary otherwise.

People who live with disabilities have had to fight all their lives, and their families have had to fight on their behalf. Supports were never easy to access. We have seen the struggle families have had to get domiciliary care allowances. Even mobility allowances and transport grants were not easily accessible for disabled people. They have had to fight constantly. We must build a society in which they are recognised and in which that struggle is seen to be our struggle, and not only theirs. They have had to fight for every support they get.

The Minister has failed to protect and provide for the disabled and continues to target them with savage cutbacks. This is outrageous decision making, particularly by the Labour Party Minister of State who is overseeing this process. I call on all Members to oppose the Government's proposed amendment to this motion and to recognise the rights of disabled people as equal citizens in our society.

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