Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I, too, wish the Ministers of State well in their roles. It is not an easy task, as I think we all accept.

The Taoiseach is on record as saying that disability services will be the defining issue for this Government. I think it will be. We all faced a general election recently, and I would not say I was surprised by the extent to which the issue of disabilities, services and lack thereof came up but it was certainly striking. Many of the stories we heard were heartbreaking in terms of individual families and the battles they have faced in trying to get some degree of service for their loved ones. They are battling to get assessments, initially, and then, once assessments are done, battling to get supports and services, school places, school transport and so on. It is a constant battle and fight for many families. This simply is not good enough.

I know the issue of respite was raised earlier. I fully support that. Many families are at their wits' end trying to care for their loved ones. They need a break. Respite services are simply not adequate. We need to radically improve them and provide the resources necessary in order that families can have a break from the care and love they give their loved ones.

Deputy Michael Cahill raised the issue of adaptation grants. Having been a councillor for many years, I worked with and assisted families in securing these grants and advising them on making applications. The issue of the means test needs to be looked at. It places an unnecessary burden on families with the application process. I would like to see an estimate of how much it would cost the State to abolish the means test. It would be a good investment and one we should look at.

Successive Governments have failed on the issue of disabilities by simply not providing enough resources or supports to families and individuals. We need short-term strategies to address the deficit but we also need a long-term plan. We do not want to find ourselves here debating the same issues in five or ten years. We need a clear, long-term plan to address this issue. It is obvious to me that the training and places available for training therapists and other professionals in this area need to be looked at and radically increased.

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