Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all Members for their contributions to this very important debate but I am disappointed by the response of the Government parties to the motion. The Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Butler, and Deputy Moynihan are just as aware as any of the rest of us are of the circumstances that people with disabilities or dementia and their families are in. They have been informed of the difficulties that they face daily. We all know that tea and sympathy is just not what they need; they need action. It is time to do the right thing. I welcome the fact that a commitment has been given to keep day services open despite what Covid-19 level we are on. That is of great importance. I am aware that safety is also paramount. The reason so many of the services are in difficulty is because they are adhering strictly to the guidelines to keep all of the service users and their staff safe. People with disabilities feel, and not for the first time, that they are the forgotten people in this State.

It is not for the first time that they are the forgotten people in this State. The €10 million allocated last week was met with dismay, disappointment and disbelief by some people within the sector. Others would have said that they have got used to it and do not expect anything different; they expect to be forgotten. Funding was made available to open the schools, and rightly so, but it has been suggested that a similar amount of funding, €120 million, is needed to cover the cost of Covid-19 and open services fully. If we were to rate our country, and this was raised a few times by other speakers, on the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens I believe we would be fairly low down on that scale, and that is all of us together.

I am sure the Minister of State is familiar with the facts on disability in the country, many of which have been alluded to in the debate, but we have more than 640,000 people with disabilities. That number is expected to rise by 20% in the next five years so we need to ensure that the services provided for people with disabilities are in place to meet their needs.

We also have the lowest employment rate for people with disabilities and it is 20% lower than the European average. I meet parents who tell me that their son or daughter who is on the autism spectrum has qualified in college but when they apply for a job, which they are highly qualified for on paper, people do not want to employ them. We need to do more to secure employment for people with disabilities and ensure that the quotas within the public service are met. There are incentives for employers to hire people with disabilities, of which they may not be aware. We need to make them more aware of those incentives.

It is time to fund properly the services and supports for people with disabilities. Initially, it would be to fund the shortfall in the Covid funding for services but there needs to be a change in focus in the way supports for people with disabilities are provided. The optional protocol was mentioned several times in the debate. That needs to be adopted and implemented.

Many reports have been commissioned on the way rights for people with disabilities could be guaranteed but they are gathering dust. We know the right way forward but it has not been implemented. It has to be acted upon.

The Minister of State mentioned that the results of the capacity review will be published soon. Is that imminent? It is very important that we know the shortfalls in terms of what is needed.

The Minister of State has tabled an amendment to the motion. I urge her to support this motion instead.

See this speech in context