Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their kind remarks on my appointment. I welcome the opportunity to speak on disability services and to outline the extent of this Government's commitment to people with disabilities. I commend my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, on her single minded commitment to achieving a better and fairer outcome for people with disabilities. This goal is also relevant to me in my new role as Minister of State with responsibility for equality. My objective until the end of this Government's term is to set out the equality agenda not only as a societal need, but also as an economic need. As has been noted on all sides of the House this evening, countries that are more equal do better.

There was a perception in the past in this country and most other jurisdictions that people with disabilities should adapt themselves to society. It is important to restate what the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, said last Tuesday, namely, people with disabilities are not ill and do not need to be fixed. Thankfully, there is now recognition that society needs to change. People with disabilities must be supported as full and equal citizens of this country who participate in Irish society on the same basis as any other citizen. This principle is at the heart of the Government's approach to issues affecting those with disabilities.

As Deputy Maloney correctly pointed out, no side of this House has a monopoly of wisdom in this regard. Tremendous work has already been done to improve supports for families, provide early intervention services, streamline access to therapy services for children and provide dedicated resources for children with special education needs, an area close to my own heart. Ten years ago the special education budget amounted to approximately €450 million. At the height of the boom in 2009 it was €750 million. Now it is approximately €1.3 billion, or 15% of the entire education budget. At the end of this year, nearly 11,000 special needs assistants will be working in the Irish education system, which is more than ever, and the number of special classes has increased by 60% since the 2010-11 academic year. We still face challenges, however. For example, in the context of an increase of 2% in the student intake last year, the number of students with special educational needs increased by 11%.

As students progress to adulthood, disability services are being transformed. We are moving towards the delivery of a person centred model of support whereby people with disabilities are no longer the passive recipients of an often segregated service but instead have more control over their own lives. We are also rationalising administrative processes to make services more effective, efficient and responsive. One example is the success achieved this year in the provision of life skills training and day supports for school leavers with disabilities. The Government's commitment to implementing a comprehensive employment strategy will be a vital aspect of the whole of government approach to disability issues. The inclusion of the strategy in the Action Plan for Jobs and the subsequent monitoring through the Cabinet committee of Pathways to Work reinforces the principle of mainstreaming. This is a central tenet of the national disability strategy and it means that issues which affect people with disability should be addressed by the public bodies which have responsibility for these issues.

Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Michael Wallace and Clare Daly referred to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is a priority for me. I understand that the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013, which is awaiting Committee Stage, will deal with most of the issues that hinder ratification. Further legislation will be needed to deal with other issues, such as reasonable accommodation, but most of what needs to be done has already been scoped out. I expect to bring proposals to Government on further necessary legislation in the next six months. The necessary consultation with relevant Departments is under way and should be finalised shortly.

Speakers on all sides of the House raised the issue of funding for advocacy groups. I will take on board the comments made and commit to the House that I will discuss the matters raised with the Minister of State, Deputies Kathleen Lynch, and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly. Services are provided to people with disabilities across many areas of government. New developments in housing and employment activation show that the Government is pushing out the boundaries to enable people with disabilities to participate more fully in society. Funding provided to programmes outside the health budget, in addition to the HSE's annual expenditure of €1.4 billion, enables people with disabilities to avail of an extensive range of financial supports and services. The challenge for all of us will be to ensure this funding is used to best effect to facilitate full participation in society by people with disabilities.

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