Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We have had debate on disability services and the knock-on effect of the pandemic on them many times in the past 17 or 18 months. It has been a grim 18 months for society as a whole but, in other ways, it has been enlightening to see people pulling together in a time of need. I am proud of this country's spirit. We are in a different place now to where we were in January or the previous March and April. Images stick in my mind of really stressed parents. The routine that they had with their children disappeared overnight. That has had a detrimental effect not only on the children's lives but also on family life.

The good news is that educational and care settings have largely been reopened. That is testament to the amazing staff who work in these facilities. They really are heroes. They have kept things open and going. They have an amazing relationship with the people who use their services and their families. That has been really good.

The loss of those routines has led to regression, however, while the lack of peer-to-peer interaction has had a major effect on the family lives of the children in question.

In previous years, there have been issues with the July provision and its roll-out. Hopefully, it will have a better run-in next month. It is a vital service of which people are appreciative. There have been issues with access and so forth.

The long-term effects of the pandemic will probably live on for a considerable time. It has shown the grave inequalities in certain areas in society and the fault lines which exist in the provision of some disability services. From my experience, I know this has a significant effect on families in that when they need an intervention it is not there. Of the several things which must come out of the pandemic, we need to address the inequalities in the provision of special education, as well as the knock-on effect with what has happened over the past 17 months. Those who keep the show on the road have been amazing. They have kept the flag flying in the most adverse circumstances. They are heroes and I commend them fully.

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