Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their contributions to the debate on this important motion relating to disabilities. We recognise that people are living longer and that adults with intellectual disability have age related illnesses and conditions, with more people with a disability having more complex needs. The late Stephen Hawking said: "My advice to other disabled people would be to concentrate on things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit as well as physically."

Our national disability inclusion strategy captures a wide range of actions across Government Departments that will impact on the lives of people with disabilities and is to be viewed as a blueprint for an inclusive, accessible and equal country that incorporates issues that affect quality of life, health, education and transport. Underpinning the strategy is a vision of an Irish society in which people with disabilities across their life cycles enjoy equal rights and opportunities to participate in social and cultural life, can work if they want to do so, have choice and control over how they live their lives and can reach their full potential. In modern Ireland our common aspiration must be to accelerate the pace of reform because how we care for our most vulnerable citizens is the true litmus test of our position as a civilised society.

Improving employment outcomes for persons with a disability is a key objective of the Government. The "Make Work Pay for People with Disabilities" report was published last April and made 24 recommendations covering a range of Departments. A number of the report's recommendations have already been implemented. People with a long-term disability payment who move off the payment to get a job now retain their free travel pass for a period of five years. A fast track return to disability allowance is in place for people where employment does not work out. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is currently engaging in an extensive consultation process with people with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities and sectoral representatives regarding early engagement with people with disabilities on recommendations Nos. 9 and 10 of the report. Today, its officials were in Sligo to hear the views of people with disabilities and their families.

The Government acknowledges the immense contribution made by family and other unpaid carers in ensuring that older people and people with disabilities can continue to live in their own homes and communities and contribute to those communities. This contribution is reflected in our most recent census finding showing that over 195,000 provide at least 6.6 million hours of care per week in Ireland. Last year the Government legislated for the automatic provision of medical cards for persons in receipt of a domiciliary care allowance. This removed the need for approximately 35,000 families providing care for a child with a severe disability to undergo the medical card assessment process.

I will now comment on the loco parentisrule as it relates to the provision of paediatric home care packages for children with complex medical needs. These packages are designed to maximise a child's quality of life and developmental opportunities while also helping to keep children out of hospital as much as possible. It is expected that 584 home care packages will be provided this year, up from 504 in 2017. The nurses and health care assistants who deliver these supports are responsible solely for the clinical care of the child. As such, they cannot assume sole responsibility for a child in the child’s home and, hence, where parents may not be available, they should appoint a designated and competent individual to act inloco parentis. This requirement ensures that a second person will be present in the event of an acute emergency such as respiratory arrest, decannulation of a tracheostomy or status epilepticus. It is important to note that parents are not required to remain with the child and nurse at all times, but they must find identify an appropriate adult to act in loco parentisif they are unavailable. I stress again that the paediatric home care packages are a clinical support. We all recognise that respite care may also be an issue for some families. The HSE is already looking at respite care as part of the national quality assurance process and this will help to inform a review of the operation of the loco parentisrule by the national steering group for children with complex medical conditions.

The safety and protection of vulnerable people in the care of the State is paramount. The Government's primary concern is that their needs are being prioritised and addressed. More than 3,000 inspections of residential centres for people with disabilities have been conducted by the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, since regulation began in November 2013. This year net non-capital expenditure of €16.269 million has been approved for HIQA, a significant funding increase of 24% on the 2017 funding level. This will facilitate HIQA in advancing work in all areas, including the regulation, inspection and monitoring of all designated centres for people with disabilities.

Accessible transport was raised by some Deputies. There has been increased investment under the national development plan for new major public transport projects and retro-fitting of older public transport infrastructure, which will progress making public transport fully accessible for people with disabilities. The Minister for Transport. Tourism and Sport intends to appoint to the boards of public transport companies under his remit a person with personal experience of the needs and difficulties of people with disabilities using public transport.

In the Department of Health, work is under way on the drafting of new legislation for the introduction of a new transport support scheme to assist those with the most complex disability in meeting their increased mobility costs. The Minister plans to bring his proposals to Government shortly. We also acknowledge the key commitments on disability issues in A Programme for a Partnership Government, including increased participation in society, the movement to personal individualised budgets, and the progress being made by the task force on personalised budgets, which has almost completed its work.

Across Government, in transport, housing, equality, health, employment and social protection, we are working together to ensure that children, young people and adults with a disability have the right to the same life opportunities as anyone else to live satisfying and valued lives. This is the whole-of-Government approach to people with a disability and their families. We want to ensure that these policies, including our national disability inclusive strategy, significantly improve the lives of people with disabilities in a practical sense.

I thank the House for the opportunity to address these issues and for the valuable contributions made by Members to the debate. Speakers referred to the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. I fully recognise the utility of the optional protocol to the convention in providing a high degree of accountability, and it is my intention to opt in. The convention and the optional protocol cover a broad range of commitments, some of which require substantive cultural change. An analysis of the 14 complaints brought under the optional protocol since 2010 indicates a range of areas we are working hard to address such as the deprivation of liberty and the right of deaf persons to participate in jury duty. It is my intention that the optional protocol will be ratified once we have completed the first reporting cycle under the convention. This will provide us with an opportunity to reflect and prioritise actions to achieve the highest possible level of compliance.

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