Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I expect the Taoiseach to come back to me on that, in his own time. Some 643,000 citizens are recorded as having a disability. Budget 2018 had no commitment to increase personal assistant hours or respite care services, despite the increased need for support. In fact, overnight hours of respite care for children with disabilities have dropped from 44,000 overnight hours to 40,000. Therefore, the Government is providing less despite the fact there are more requests for overnight respite care than ever before.

There is no real, fit-for-purpose way of getting these necessary and proper services for citizens with disabilities. It is chaotic and disorganised and is left to the endeavours of individual families. Parents have to become activists, campaigners and advocates on top of everything else. Sam and Brendan are citizens. Sam and Brendan have rights and it is our duty to uphold their rights. Their families have rights and it is our duty to uphold their rights also, but we are not doing it. Results count. I made a very modest proposal to the Taoiseach and he said he is going to come back to me. I will be back to ask him for a positive answer to that in the time ahead.

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