Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I welcome the publication of the strategy and give credit to the Minister for bringing it to the Chamber. For too many families in Ireland, strategies and promises have come and gone, so to speak. Sometimes what remains is a very real sense of letdown. I do not speak today in abstract as a member of my staff is the mother of a lovely ten-year-old girl with Down's syndrome. For those ten years, her lived experience has been that unless she shouts the loudest, her child's needs go unnoticed for the best part. What families are looking for is equality but they often end up with exhaustion. Parents should not have to fight every single day just to secure the most basic services for their children. There is nothing more heartbreaking for any parent than to watch their child's progress stall or, worse still, regress because the supports that should have been there were absent, delayed or inconsistent.

The strategy before us speaks of equality, participation and choice but these words will mean nothing unless they are backed by urgent action that tackles waiting lists, makes inclusive education real, lifts the crushing cost of disability for families and ensures housing, transport and healthcare are designed for everyone. The strategy can offer great hope instead of hopelessness but we need to replace exhaustion with confidence. This is a whole-of-government commitment to remove barriers in education, work, health, housing and transport and in community life.

As a legislator but also as a father and a neighbour to families in my east Galway constituency, I urge the House to fully embrace and follow through with this new action plan. We cannot afford another five years of delay. The next five years should be the years when rights are promised and lived. What is key in all of this is implementation of the strategy. I commend the Minister on bringing it to us. I certainly look forward, as do many parents, to vast improvements in this regard.

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