Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her detailed opening statement. I am again grateful for the opportunity to speak on the topic of disability in the Chamber. People from that group are physically under-represented in Leinster House. It is important that they are not under-represented from an advocacy point of view. That is why I am delighted to be here with my Regional Group colleagues to do our bit in that regard.

We all appreciate that disability matters are broad and multifaceted and, at times, can be quite complex. The beauty of the motion before the House is that it focuses on one particular facet, namely, transport. That said, transport is not just about wheels or moving from A to B. Rather, it is a fundamental enabler and allows people to have the independence and autonomy they need to go about their daily lives and make a meaningful contribution to society, whether that is socially or from an employment point of view.

The motion will not change the world, but it can completely transform the lives of many people. It is exactly what we should be doing in our Parliament, namely, making minor adjustments which will have significant positive impact outside of the parliamentary precinct. That is why I am very glad to be here today. I very much welcome the acceptance of the motion by the Government, which makes perfect sense to me.

The Minister of State referenced the Ombudsman's report from November of last year, which is an excellent report and just 24 pages long. Mr. Peter Tyndall is a straight shooter and calls it as he sees it. He identified three major areas for improvement. In fairness, there are criticisms in the report but there are also observations. Mr. Tyndall offers some practical solutions.

The issues he identified are public transport, issues with personal transport and access to the primary medical certificate, which is very important. I come from a commuter constituency, Kildare South, and totally identify with what he said about public transport issues. Some of the comments in the report state that people with disabilities find it difficult to get on trains, many elevators were broken and that there was no access to toilets, as well as a litany of other indignities they had to face on a daily basis, which is completely unnecessary. I accept and welcome the Government's commitment to public transport.

Much funding is currently being pumped into public transport in terms of green energy, hydrogen buses, new trains, etc. However, we should not forget the basics. We can talk about the sexy, glamorous and cool stuff, but we need to remember the basics. The basics include ensuring every person in society have equal access to public transport. They should be able to alight safely from a train, bus or whatever.

The second issue relates to personal transport, which is something we can focus on between now and the budget. We do not require any planning permission or tradespeople to build a new platform. We just need to give people access to the appropriate funding they need. The budget in October is a good way to do that because people with disabilities do not need a whole lot. They just need access to funds because the cost of living is, quite rightly, a very topical issue at the moment for able-bodied people. It is even more important for disabled people because they incur greater expenses. On the income side, they are more likely to be employed at a lower salary, if they are gainfully employed at all. They face a double whammy on both sides.

I accept what my colleagues said about 2013 when the mobility allowance was closed to new entrants. The same happened with the motorised transport grant. I echo the call for a more comprehensive transport support scheme, which is important.

Regarding eligibility criteria for the primary medical certificates, because the two schemes I mentioned have been cancelled tax rebates and reliefs are even more important. The Minister of State said we should put forward some constructive views and I am very happy to do so. The primary medical certificate, of which I have some experience, is medicalised box ticking. We need to replace that with an overarching mobility point of view. We would have much better results and access if a more general perspective was taken.

I am very grateful that the Government has accepted the motion. The Regional Group will not be found wanting in any support it can provide from a budgeting or resource point of view. I do not think the disabled community are looking for anything in particular. They are not looking for preferential treatment or special treatment; rather, they are just looking for a fair deal. We should be prepared to give them exactly that.

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