Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

After a revolt by disabled people forced the Government to scrap the hated Green Paper, the Taoiseach pledged to meet disabled persons organisations to discuss an alternative.

On 8 May, the Taoiseach told me that, as Taoiseach, he intended to meet directly with disability groups and that he would be issuing invitations to engage more substantially with them. Having waited six weeks from the time of that commitment, 11 disabled persons organisations wrote to the Taoiseach about this on 18 June. Two weeks on, they have yet to receive a single reply and not even an acknowledgement. Cír Doyle of Neuro Pride Ireland told me that they feel that to be both insulting and disrespectful. I acknowledge that the Taoiseach has met Inclusion Ireland but I am talking about disabled persons organisations here. They want to know what is the story, why the delay and when will he meet them.

I also want to remind the Taoiseach of the situation at St. Killian’s Special School, Mayfield, Cork. Children here continue go without proper assistance from any team of therapists. The school has sourced a team of suitable therapists but the State continues to fail to deliver on the promise of funding to put such an arrangement in place. When will the Taoiseach get this issue sorted?

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