Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

While I do not have recent answers in front of me, it seems the Minister’s remarks here today are quite similar except that there has been a fourth meeting. I accept that the Department of the Taoiseach is meeting, that the Minister’s Department is meeting, and that the Minister sent a note outlining a proposal for a new scheme. Can he give us any information on that? He says it is a needs-based grant-aided scheme to replace what is already there. That is good news and we want to hear that because what was there was no longer fit for purpose and was based on a medical model of disability which excluded many people with disabilities. I would like to hear from the Minister, even if he cannot give us full details, whether the new scheme will be inclusive and will include different types of disabilities - not only physical disabilities but also mental, intellectual and sensory impairments.

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