Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his commitment, vitality and the way he is changing things. This is a huge area where, as he said, there needs to be a levelling of the playing pitch for people with disabilities. One of the issues we need to determine is how many people, on average, need assistance. We need to make sure there are whole-time equivalent jobs for that. Colleges vary in size but it is not acceptable that somebody who is the arms and legs of somebody with a disability, who could be a notetaker, or who helps them with their food and to negotiate their social life, is paid by the hour and, therefore, does not have any employment during the holiday period other than to go to a social welfare office.

I accept and acknowledge what the Minister said. I agree it is a matter for negotiation. We need one national pay scale. We need these jobs to be permanent, whole-time and pensionable because this will ensure people with disabilities will get their full access, be able to fulfil in every possible way their intellectual capacity and their ability to do their jobs into the future, and live a normal and full life as best they can. I welcome the support I received from my Sinn Féin colleague, Deputy Ó Murchú, who will ask a supplementary question. I will allow him to do so this time.

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