Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is í seo an chéad deis a bhí agam comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Taoiseach. I wish the Taoiseach well in his work.

We are entering pre-budget mode and we know that Departments and Ministers are examining figures. We have had a number of pre-budget submissions and attended pre-budget presentations. The national economic dialogue is on today. Listening to the various figures being bandied about, I was struck by a headline about the Government being in a "budgetary straitjacket". There will be many justifiable demands on whatever is available and decisions will have to be made. I hope those decisions will be to make the greatest difference possible, especially as regards inequality in society.

One group of people who experience inequality in a more acute way than anyone else are people with disabilities. I acknowledge what the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, did recently to get people with disabilities into employment via the Making Work Pay for People with Disabilities report, but many of its recommendations are still to be implemented. People with disabilities tell us that they and us are a long way from the kind of society in which they would like to live. The facts speak for themselves. A February survey of income and living conditions showed some improvement in overall general poverty rates, but they are worsening for people with disabilities. Such people are at almost twice the risk of living in poverty as the general population. Half of all people with disabilities have extra costs, which have been estimated at €207 per week for some. They are also facing housing problems, with fewer wheelchair accessible houses being built. Households headed by people with disabilities are twice as likely to experience unemployment as other households. In terms of consistent poverty levels, people with disabilities suffer more than those without disabilities. We know of poorer education outcomes for people with disabilities. Many people with disabilities are dependent on social welfare as their only source of income. None of this is to mention the various cuts they have suffered in recent budgets. It is an unequal world for people with disabilities.

Instead of giving a little to many that might not make an appreciable difference in their lives, there is an opportunity in budget 2018 to make a real difference in the lives of those with disabilities and a concerted effort to address the poverty and exclusion experienced by many such people and their families.

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