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

I thank the Social Democrats for tabling this motion. It is very worthwhile to debate what is going on with disability services. As the Minister of State knows, people who have a disability are twice as likely to face discrimination than me and her. That is a fact. They will face discrimination in respect of consistent poverty, deprivation, isolation, employment, access to public services and housing. Those who have a disability who try to access housing is one of the key issues. There is a dearth of housing in South Dublin County Council for those who have a disability. I could tell many horror stories regarding those who have a disability who cannot get access to proper housing. The situation in South Dublin County Council is not an isolated one. I am sure it is the same throughout the State.

On income and disability, the disability allowance is €208 per week. I always found it very weird that during the pandemic the vast majority of people got €350. That was the bar at which most people could live. The disability allowance should be far more than €208; it should be up to the level of €350. That should be looked at in the context of the budget. The cost-of-living crisis is having a major affect on those who are living with a disability. That has to be heeded.

I will touch on the local authority housing adaptation grants. The income thresholds for those grants are far too low. The cost of adaptations goes far beyond the grant that is currently available. There is also a knock-on effect as regards the cost of living. I know families who just cannot afford the adaptation they need for their children or themselves. The thresholds for the grants, whether someone is in a public local authority house or owns his or her home, are far too small. They have to be looked at because families are going into debt. Families simply cannot afford the adaptation, or have to cut back on certain modifications, and sometimes it takes a long time to get these grants. I would like the Minister of State to look into that because it is very important for families, adults and so forth.

There are many other matters I could mention. I do not understand why we have not ratified the protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD. Only two other countries in the European Union have not ratified it. The action plan needs to be published without delay. That is very important. As I said, the income for those who are on disability or illness benefits has to be reviewed. That is probably out of the Minister of State's remit, but she will understand where I am coming from. For somebody who is on such payments for a considerable time, it is not a huge amount of money in the context of the cost of living in Ireland. It is actually very small. Some people want to contribute but sometimes, because of circumstances, they cannot, due to their disability. The disability allowance should be looked at. It should be much further north of €208 and closer to the level of payments made during the pandemic.

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