Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)

As a result of being on the disability committee and having witnesses come before it over the past 11 months, I am struck by the quite variable needs of some people in terms of their disability. I am concerned that if we sometimes provide supports that are too thin to too many people, we need to have some nuance in order that we support people, especially those who have considerable needs that are not being addressed. There is a need to get these people into employment because, as we know, the level of poverty associated with disability in this country is quite considerable, as is the unemployment rate among people who are disabled. That is where my concern lies. In the longer term, it would be good to have a cost-of-disability payment for people who have considerable needs because it would enable them to re-enter the workforce, which would be good for their sake, most importantly, but for our sake as well.

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