Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I also thank Deputy Cairns for bringing forward this motion and welcome all those in the Gallery and those looking in today. We have all heard the saying that a disability does not disable someone; society disables people. It is an important point to acknowledge today because it is clear that the skyrocketing cost of living everyone is seeing at the moment is making life very difficult, particularly for people with disabilities. We want the Government to step in and support those people. Disabled people are among those who experience the cost of living crisis most acutely. The cost of disability in Ireland report published on 7 December 2021 found that the additional cost of disability ranges from €8,700 to €12,300 per annum. As a result of this cost, the gap is widening between the standard of living a disabled person will experience compared to that of someone without a disability.

Over the past number of months, the Social Democrats have raised the cost of cancer, back-to-school costs and the rising cost of living in many of our Dáil contributions. People across Ireland are all experiencing financial hardship but the added cost of disability on top of this really makes this struggle very deep to the point of impossibility for many.

In ratifying the UNCRPD, Ireland committed to providing the highest attainable standard of healthcare for people with disabilities and comprehensive housing and rehabilitation services to enable disabled people attain or regain maximum independence. The living experience of any single person with a disability in Ireland, however, shows that we are very far from attaining that vision.

I want to discuss the cost of disability in the context of our substandard healthcare service and how this takes away from the maximum independence we have committed to attaining for disabled people. I have worked with a number of constituents in Wicklow who are struggling to get the basics, that is, new wheelchairs when their existing ones are broken down. The system in the HSE for getting a replacement wheelchair is long and arduous meaning those waiting are less independent and more isolated from society. Only this week, I received a letter from a local man who is a wheelchair user. He has been waiting over five months to hear back from the HSE about a new wheelchair as his current one is broken. He says he no longer feels safe when using his wheelchair and told me "this wheelchair may not mean much to you" - meaning the HSE - "but it is my freedom, my way of getting into the community. It is my legs." I also want to mention Leo Dixon, a brave and inspiring young boy from Arklow who was forced to travel to Leinster House with his family to ask for a wheelchair. I find it very hard that we are forcing people whose focus should be primarily on their families and looking after each other to come to the Dáil to ask for basic services. We need to move away from that and the investment needs to be there to ensure they do not have to do that because there are many stories likes that of Leo Dixon and the man I mentioned. It is happening all across the country because the Government has failed to put in the systems to make sure that costly equipment like wheelchairs is provided in a timely way in order that people can get on with their lives. We need to radically improve health and care services for people with disabilities in this country.

In terms of implementing disability policy, the Government is incredibly slow to ensure that the rights of disabled people are vindicated. Just drafting disability legislation or policy or signing up to a UN convention is not enough. We need State-backed resources to ensure these policies are implemented. Disability organisations, including Sunbeam House in Wicklow, are expressing their deep concern at the pace of planning for the implementation of the disability capacity review to 2032.

This plan was due to be completed in December 2021. No publication is in sight, despite the budgetary process being under way. An action plan is urgently needed to make sure that the important recommendations in the review are carried out.

The action plan to implement the cost of disability report still has not been published. Furthermore, Ireland still has not signed up to the optional protocol, which would enable further accountability of the Government on disability rights on services. Now is the time for a clear commitment and a roadmap by the Government on the publication, implementation and resourcing of these crucial policies.

I also want to briefly mention, as spokesperson for climate action, that as we start moving towards a zero-carbon society, we need to make sure that those who are least able to make those the actions that we require are supported. That includes people with disabilities. I have mentioned this to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. Policies and legislation need to be done in conjunction with people with disabilities and with those who have lived experiences in order that the policies can best reflect what they need.

I hope that the Government can speak to all those who are attending the Gallery today and that it has something concrete and tangible to contribute. We are asking for action in this area. I want to acknowledge the hard work that has been done by many disability activists who have been campaigning for an equal footing and for an equal standard of living, to which they are entitled.

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