Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

recognises that:

— Ireland is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which places an onus on signatories to "provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life";

— people with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives within our communities;

— people with disabilities need access to public and personal transport; and

— many people with disabilities are confined to home, unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or in their community, as they are unable to access Government support to help with their personal transport needs;

notes that:

— the recent Ombudsman Report entitled "Grounded - Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes", highlights the years of inaction by the Government to address supports for people with disabilities;

— the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme continues to reinforce the inequitable eligibility criteria in primary legislation and continues to exclude many people in need of access to supports for personal transport;

— since the discontinuation of the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant for new applicants in 2013, the Government has yet to provide a fair and equal replacement scheme;

— the Indecon research report entitled "The Cost of Disability in Ireland" estimates that households spend on average an additional €9,027 on items specifically relating to disability, special versions of products, and transport and mobility; and

— transport costs tend to be an extra living cost that people with disabilities are unable to afford; and

calls on the Government to:

— provide funding to finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme, to replace the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant, as a matter of priority;

— reinstate and amend the Primary Medical Certificate process which presently is not fit for purpose;

— address the issues in relation to the eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect;

— improve access to public transport for people with disabilities; and

— invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility, and inclusion for people with a disability.

I thank the Regional Group for its support and commitment in bringing forward this Private Members' motion, which, I understand, the Government is accepting. It is important to note that at the outset.

The important thing about this motion is to highlight the total disregard that successive Governments have had for people with disabilities and those who have been left without supports for transport. Ireland is a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which places an onus on the signatories to provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life. People with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives in our communities. They need access to public and personal transport. Many people with disabilities are confined to a home, unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or their community. They are unable to access Government support to help them with their personal transport needs.

It is important to reference the report of the Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, Grounded: Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes, which he published in November. The report states:

Many people with disabilities are stuck at home unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or in their community as they can’t access government support to help with their personal transport needs. This social isolation casts a shadow on us as a country and on our commitment to equality and social inclusion for all.

We are asking the Government to: provide funding to finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant scheme as a matter of urgent policy; reinstate and amend the primary medical certificate process which presently is not fit for purpose; address the issues relating to the eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect; improve access to public transport for people with disabilities; and invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility, and inclusion for people with a disability.

In his report, Peter Tyndall cited a number of case studies. I will read one of them. It states:

David has restricted movement and severe nerve damage on one side of his body. He also has special insoles for his shoes, and heel supports. He is significantly incapacitated from the pain. David has a Disabled Drivers Parking Permit. He said that an adapted car would help his mental health and mobility but he has been refused the Primary Medical Certificate.

The primary medical certificate is a key component in the life of people with disabilities, considering the fact that the Indecon report stated that the cost of living with a disability is between €9,000 and €12,000 per individual on top of their ordinary living costs. It is important that we look at this issue in a really humane way. The fact that successive governments have not addressed this issue is a shadow on politics. It is important that we get it right, and that we get it right now. There are people who are grounded, as Peter Tyndall has indicated. They cannot access their communities or go to work. We talk a great deal about employability for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, if they cannot leave their house, it is a very poor start. As the Minister of State is aware and as I stated last week, in a rural constituency like Galway East, public transport is not available for everybody. It is available in town centres and the services run from town to town. The answer that Government has been giving is that it will provide accessible public transport. I do not believe we can wait that long to help these people. We must act now. As a member of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, I implore the Minister of State to engage with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to get this project going again.

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