Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government promises to improve the lives of people with disabilities and for the most important people in their lives, their carers. Next Wednesday, from 12.30 p.m. as part of the Enough is Enough campaign, carers will be outside the Convention Centre calling for just that. Concretely, they will be calling for the reopening of adult day services. All around the country carers are screaming out that they are physically and mentally exhausted but they feel that nobody is listening. Will the Government act on its promises? Will it publish definite guidelines for the prompt reopening of home support hours, respite services, adult day services and mental health services? Will it recognise the huge efforts of carers which save the State over €10 billion per annum and raise carer's allowance and carer's benefit? Will it abolish the means-test for carer's and suspend reviews of carer's allowance? Will it ensure that people with disabilities can legally demand their rights by immediately commencing the ratification of the optional protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?

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