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

Last week we debated progressing disability services for children and young people. A point I made was that we knew much more about people with a disability. We know what needs to be done, how and why it needs to be done. We are talking about the service and provision of supports for those with a disability that will enable them to live and support them in living fulfilling and enjoyable lives. We are also talking about supporting young people to realise their potential. We have been strong on theory but not on practice, hence the subject of this debate. Gabhaim buíochas don Teachta Pringle agus do Jodie Neary as an obair atá déanta acu don díospóireacht seo anocht.

Independent living is what it is all about. That is what will make the difference. We have been talking about this issue for a long time and it is positive that we are having this debate in order that we can see a way towards progress. With personal assistants, people with a disability are able to do the things that those of us without a disability take for granted. I met people with disabilities with their personal assistants this evening and have met them at other times and there is no doubt about the difference it makes. It is invaluable in assisting a person with a disability to do all of the things he or she wants to do, whether it be to go to work, engage in education, go shopping or out to socialise. We have seen amazing relationships develop between a person with a disability and his or her personal assistant. As the Independent Living Movement puts it, it is often the difference between existing and living. The movement jas also pointed to a 1996 survey which identified a need for a ten-hour personal assistant service per person per week, but it would just cover essential personal care needs. So much more is needed to provide for quality of life. Progress was made when the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We know about Article 19 which asserts the right of those with a disability to live in the community and access the services they need in order to do so. However, the motion before us deals with the reality, which is very different.

The first figure I look for in the Budget Statement every year is what is being given to people with a disability and each year it has been disappointing. There is an opportunity to correct this by supporting the motion and it is good that the Government will do so. I was emailed by Des Kenny, the new chairperson of the Independent Living Movement of Ireland, who wrote about the need to unlock the restrictive policy in the Dáil. We need to take a rights-based approach. We know about Senator Dolan's work. He has observed how in the past 25 years he has witnessed the constant erosion of the practical life-enhancing tool of the personal assistant service. The idea had first been mooted in the 1990s.

Like others, I mention the late Martin Naughton. I had the distinction of being his teacher for a year when he came to my school. He was always ready to spend the night sleeping outside Leinster House with whoever would join him to highlight these issues.

In 2018 the HSE stated it was committed to protecting the level of supported provided by the personal assistant and home support services. However, there is the staggering statistic that 0.3% of people with a disability receive a personal assistant service. Some 5% of the disability budget is expended on that service and home support services, while 85% is expended on residential and day care services. We know the difference between it and the cost of the fair deal scheme. Ultimately, we are talking about more than economics. We are talking about the right of a person with a disability to live where he or she wants, his or her right to be fully included in the community, make decisions to have control over his or her life and live independently, as is allowed by the personal assistant system. The easy part for us tonight is to make speeches, as we have done for almost two hours. The difficult part is dealing with the realities of life for people with a disability which successive Governments have not made any easier. I hope that with Deputy Pringle's motion we will see progress.

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