Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and others who have been so instrumental in bringing this motion to the House. We are discussing the rights of persons with disabilities but I prefer to call them people with different abilities. This is very much what this debate is about. These are people who, unfortunately, have hit different crises in their lives and they find the system is not able to cope with that. I have spoken previously about the need for child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS and services for people with intellectual disabilities in my constituency in the north west. There is a huge problem there. It is appalling the way that service has been left in recent years in that part of the State, especially in Sligo. This applies also to autism services. When they get into the system and they look for respite, very often it is not there for families who are trying to deal with these situations.

If we are serious about providing this, it has to be through every organ of the State in which we look after people with different abilities. If we are going to do this through every organ of the State, we need to ensure that the health service is brought up to speed. There is a postcode lottery in health service. If a person happens to live in the north west, he or she will wait a very long time before getting a service. One obvious example of this is the neurology department in Sligo University Hospital. It is divided into two units, one which looks after patients who have Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and so on, and the other which is a surgical neurology unit that mainly looks after people with spinal injuries. There is one senior consultant, one registrar and two senior house officers. They are unable to cope with the demand. The waiting list to be seen is nine or ten months. Even when a person gets into the system, it is very difficult to get an adequate service because the service is so stretched. Clearly, there needs to be investment to ensure the additional staff that are needed in these vital services are recruited. This applies to neurology and all the other services in the State.

We have to understand that every citizen of the State has a right. That right means the Members have the obligation to provide for them. Government has that obligation. This motion is designed to hold the Government to account in this. I hope the Government comes up to the mark.

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