Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion regarding disability services. I thank the Sinn Féin party for tabling it. According to the most recent census, 22% of our population are living with a disability. Despite this, disabled people are too often left behind and not given adequate access to the services they need. I support this motion, particularly its call on the Government to set a date for the ratification of the optional protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I support its call for the Government to acknowledge its failure to recognise the additional cost of disability in budget 2025. There is an urgent need for the full ratification of the optional protocol of the UNCRPD. The fact that this and the amendments to the EPSEN Act have been left unaddressed for nearly two decades as an absolute disgrace.

It is one of the clearest indicators of the lack of care and understanding this Government has for disabled people, along with the Government's refusal to acknowledge the true cost of disability. There are significant additional costs faced by disabled people which are currently not met by existing programmes or by social welfare payments. Households with disabilities incur significant extra costs and are most at risk of poverty. A once-off payment does not recognise that the costs linked to disability are not temporary or once off either.

According to Social Justice Ireland, people with a disability are three times more likely to be at risk of poverty and twice as likely to experience deprivation. If we want to make this society more equitable and accessible for people with disabilities then we need to ensure that people are not at a financial disadvantage and that people are being adequately supported by the State. During the budget debate I called for a permanent cost of disability payment of at least €50 a week. I reiterate that call today. I also reiterate my call for purpose-built housing for people with disabilities. It is important that those with disabilities are supported in applying for public housing and that purpose-built housing is available to anyone who needs it. Many people with disabilities do not apply for public housing as they believe that public housing would not be suitable for their needs. Unfortunately, they are right. However, because people do not apply, local authorities do not realise the extent of the need for purpose-built housing and therefore do not provide the funding needed to ensure that those housing units are built. Indeed, many disabled people deal with and work through the HSE and believe the HSE will provide for their needs but it does not. The HSE does not talk to the local authorities about providing housing and that is a real problem. That is why it is vitally important that disabled people themselves and their families make a point of ensuring they are actually on the housing list because they cannot rely on the HSE to do anything for them.

I call on all those in need of purpose-built housing to apply for public housing in order that local authorities can get a better idea of what is needed. I call on the Government to adopt a better and more direct way of assessing the need for purpose-built housing. There should be a fairer, simpler and more accessible way for people to apply for that housing. Many council applications for public housing are long and inaccessible. I urge local authorities to ensure there are no barriers for people applying for any type of public housing by ensuring that the process is accessible, that there are supports and that information is available for those applying.

People should feel they have choice and control when it comes to applying for housing or when it comes to funding that affects them directly. I echo the call of Independent Living Movement Ireland to ensure that disabled people are empowered to make their own choices and to ensure disabled people are in control of the organisations that the State funds to provide disability services. Disabled people have a right to agency and choice in their lives. However, most of the Government's disability funding goes to disability service providers through annual grants instead of directly to the disabled people. As it stands, disabled people have very little control or say in how funding is spent or on the type of supports and services they receive. This needs to change. Disabled persons organisations should be consulted on any changes to funding or services. We need to start moving away from systems that segregate and marginalise disabled people and move towards inclusive policies. We also need to move away from one-off payments that do nothing to address deep-rooted inequality. Income inequality and access to services cannot be resolved through one-off measures. The Government will continue to fail disabled people if it persists with this approach. It is vitally important that we look at the cost of disability and make sure people are not being penalised because they are disabled. At this stage, the State has the extra money to do this. For many years the State could complain that we did not have any funding, that we had not enough money to do it. However, the money is there now. All we need is the will to make it happen.

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