Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

First of all, I thank all of the Deputies who spoke this evening on this motion, and for the various issues they raised. A number of Deputies talked about the Government not opposing this motion but a lot of what it calls for is for the Government to implement its own programme for Government. A lot of the items identified are in the programme, and they have not been addressed as yet.

The optional protocol has not been ratified, and I know the Minister has talked about an interdepartmental group now being established to look at the scoping exercise carried out by the Department in moving towards ratification. That sounds to me like another delaying tactic. We heard the same arguments about the ratification of the UN Convention itself being used for 11 years, and it was finally ratified in 2018. Now we are hearing more or less the same arguments around the protocol. As we said, we have had several different people come in to the disability committee telling us there is absolutely no reason it could not be ratified immediately.

A lot of Deputies brought up the CDNTs, and I know the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, talked about the recruitment of new staff, which would be very welcome. However, every week I have families coming into my office concerned about the lack of services for their children. They might be registered with the CDNT but they are getting no services whatsoever. Many of those children have not had any service or supports since 2018 or 2019. Many of them were in the early intervention teams before the CDNTs were formed. They aged out at age six, and that is it. They have had no more support since. We had Covid-19 and then we had the CDNTs being set up, but they have not properly functioned since. Some work a little bit better than others, depending on the staffing rates, but most of them do not. I hope that the recruitment campaign works and that they are fully staffed. I am not sure if there is another CDNT census being carried out by the HSE. It did one last year and the year before. I think it is around this time of year that it is published, and I would welcome seeing that again.

Last year, the vacancy rate across all CHO areas was 30%.

On the issue of CAMHS teams, children with mental health issues such as anxiety, eating disorders or self-harming behaviour also need support. It is so difficult for their parents and families trying to provide care while watching on as their children are not provided the services they require. I know this issue may not fall within the remit of the Minister's Department, but we need our CAMHS teams up and operating and working in conjunction with the CDNTs. We have many children who cross over from one service to the other. The two services should be working together to assess the children and provide for their needs.

Many families in my constituency have a family member who has suffered a stroke. Stroke affects many young men in their 30s, 40s or 50s. Young, working men suddenly have a stroke and may end up with an acquired brain injury or mobility issues. They return home after discharge from hospital, sometimes the National Rehabilitation Hospital which does excellent work although its waiting list is long. If there is nowhere for them to go, they end up in nursing homes, which are not the right places for them. That practice continues and these men have no access to proper services and supports. Even if they return to their family home, services in the community are so lacking it is unbelievable. Many people in this position are getting no supports or services. Their mental health can be affected. There is a major financial impact on the family because of the loss of earnings of the affected person who may not be entitled to a payment because his or her spouse is working and the income will be means tested. There are no supports.

I commend the Irish Heart Foundation, MS Ireland and several other organisations on the services they provide. The Irish Heart Foundation has indicated that approximately one third of stroke survivors returning home are being referred to its patient services, which are also supporting thousands of heart failure and other cardiac patients. Although these services are endorsed by the HSE and despite the recognition of their impact and cost effectiveness, the IHF receives only 7% of its funding for these services. This is not sustainable. If it is providing a service that the State does not provide - and many other organisations are doing exactly the same - it needs more support. Many section 39 organisations provide vital supports but are not funded to the level required.

The Minister also mentioned an increase of €29 per week in the disability payment over the course of three budgets. There are different social protection payments involved. People make the point to me that they get an increase in the budget but then their rent suddenly goes up. The cost of living has also escalated. The increases in payments are not keeping pace with inflation, and that needs to happen. We know the cost of disability still has to be addressed.

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