Dáil debates

Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Disability Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

 

The following motion was moved by Deputy Finian McGrath on Tuesday, 15 July 2014:That Dáil Éireann:notes:— the vital role people with a disability play in Irish society; — that 45% of people with disabilities experienced income poverty; — that 36% of people with a disability experienced basic deprivation; — that as 85% of working-age disability is acquired and households headed by people with a disability are twice as likely to experience unemployment than those that are not headed by a person with a disability, this issue cannot go unaddressed if we are to reduce poverty in Ireland; — that over half of those living in jobless households are either children or adults with a disability; — that people with disabilities must not become the new underclass of workers and they must be afforded an adequate working wage; and — that any further cuts to respite, day-care or residential places are not sustainable; and calls on the Government to: — ensure that all people with a disability are guaranteed a quality service as a right; — end all cuts to front-line services; — appoint a senior Minister with a dedicated responsibility for disability inclusion; — prioritise funding of disability services in line with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s solemn pre-election commitments to disability; and — pursue the implementation of agreed measures, targets and timelines for disability.

Debate resumed on amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:“values the role which people with disabilities play in Irish society and is committed to facilitating the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the life of the community through access to individualised personal social supports and services; recognises the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the quality of life of people with disabilities is enhanced and that resources are allocated on the basis of need; affirms the Government’s commitment to the provision of effective and responsive public services for people with disabilities; notes that the Government spends almost €5 billion annually on disability services and income supports (in addition to expenditure of over €1 billion on income supports for illness and invalidity); and the health service alone will spend €1.4 billion in 2014 on health and social services for people with disabilities, including:— residential services to over 9,000 people with a disability; — day services to over 22,000 people with intellectual, physical or sensory disabilities and autism; — respite residential support for nearly 6,000 people with disabilities; and — 1.68 million hours of personal assistant/home support hours; notes that additional funding of €14 million has been provided to address priority needs within disability services identified by the Minister for Health and advised to the Health Service Executive, including: — €7 million for additional places for school-leavers and rehabilitative training graduates; — €3 million for emergency residential placements; and — €4 million to support the development of services for children with disabilities under the National Programme on Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People; acknowledges the key Programme for Government commitments and recognises the progress to date in implementing them, particularly in: — the publication of an implementation plan for the National Disability Strategy; — the publication of the Value for Money and Policy Review of the Disability Services in Ireland which lays the foundations for a person-centred supports model which will allow people to exercise greater choice and control, enabling them to live fully inclusive, active and independent lives within the community; and — the introduction of independent inspections for residential services for people with disabilities; acknowledges the range of income and work-related supports provided by the Department of Social Protection for people with disabilities, and notes that: — expenditure on the Illness, Disability and Carers programme is estimated to be €3.33 billion in 2014, which represents 17 per cent of total Departmental expenditure; — the purpose of the Illness, Disability and Carers programme is to provide an income for persons in the event of short and long term illness or disability and to support the valuable service provided by their care givers; and — social transfers, such as Disability Allowance, help to support people to participate in society in a positive way and prevent poverty for those with serious illnesses and disabilities; recognises the central role which work plays in the lives of people with disabilities and is committed to the development of a comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities, which will be published this year, as set out in the Action Plan for Jobs 2014; notes that the Department of Education and Skills spends approximately €1.3 billion, or 15 per cent of its entire budget, in support of children and young persons with disabilities and Special Educational Needs and, despite the significant economic challenges of recent years, has continued to protect this investment; and recognises that the Department of Education and Skills is focused on ensuring that all children can have access to an education appropriate to their needs.”- (Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch)

6:25 pm

Photo of Pádraig Mac LochlainnPádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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In these Houses all of us pledge allegiance to the 1916 Proclamation that hangs in the foyer. Therefore, we believe in a republic - a new republic - one where all citizens are equal, regardless of the colour of their skin, disability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, where they live or what they do.

Creating the conditions for establishing an equal society means recognising that many diverse groups and sections of society need enhanced protection from the State. In my time in the Dáil, and for a number of years before I was elected, I have witnessed cut after cut to those living with disabilities and those who love them and care for them.

A total of 26 disability organisations saw their funding, through the scheme to support national organisations, SSNO, run by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, revoked on 30 June. That is disgraceful. Our citizens deserve better. The Government must restore €1.2 million in funding lost to disability organisations.

I echo some of the comments made by the Disability Federation of Ireland today. It expressed concern that the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, who has responsibility for implementing the national disability strategy, was apparently not aware of the serious cut implemented by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. It also expressed concern that the Minister of State no longer comes under the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality and that there might be a disconnect between her disability and equality portfolios. The Government must be aware of that. I have no doubt the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, will examine the matter.

The Disability Federation of Ireland has also asked that the Government consider the appointment of a senior Minister for disability inclusion. Having just completed a reshuffle and rearranged some ministerial portfolios I do not assume the Government will do that immediately but in the absence of such a change I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, to examine the issue. There is ongoing concern on the matter among the disability community.

I urge him also to secure a commitment from the new Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, his party colleague and deputy leader, to overturn the cuts and restore funding to those important organisations. They are providing critical front-line service to people who are most in need of them. We must do the right thing by disabled citizens.

I have said it before in this House and I will say it again tonight, that we need a "threshold of decency" on disability supports and a political consensus that people with disabilities would have their dignity and rights maintained and that their families would not be abandoned as a result of ongoing cutbacks. We will not allow those with disabilities and their carers and families to endure cutbacks.

I remind Members of this House of the imagery from 2012 of citizens with profound disabilities protesting outside Leinster House at the cuts imposed by the then Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, and how that struck a chord with people. The courage and dignity of those who braved the elements to make their stand shone a light on the reality. The Government has proceeded to enforce cut after cut on those with disabilities in this State, and their families and carers. Their broken promises on disabilities are the cruellest of all.

The previous Government cut the disability allowance, carer's allowance and carer's benefit, and the blind person's allowance, not once but twice. The removal of the Christmas double payments also heavily impacted on the disabled and their families and carers. As a result, the Government cut the income of disabled people and their carers by 10% over two budgets.

In my time as a Member of this House, and also previously as a councillor, I have engaged more with adults and children who have disabilities and that has been a real eye-opener for me. Life is hard but it is even harder for some of those people and their families. It is not just difficult for those with a disability; it is incredibly difficult for their loved ones around them. It is physically hard and emotionally draining. They are at the coalface. They are the ones who campaign day in and day out in their own ways for their loved ones to have the same standard of living as they have.

Many of the speakers last night pointed out that it is also financially difficult for people with disabilities. We know that half of those with disabilities experience income poverty and more than one third experience basic deprivation. Since 2008, the sector has faced a 14% cut imposed by the Government.

I would like the Minister of State to inform me why Ireland has not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Surely that should have been done some time ago as we signed the convention in March 2007. Could he please tell me the reason for the delay? Could he also indicate when the Government will do the decent thing and introduce equality budgeting? In July 2013 Sinn Féin introduced the Equal Status (Amendment) Bill 2013. The Bill sought to amend the existing legislation and aimed to provide for equality proofing of Government policy and budgets and public bodies through impact assessments. Had the Bill been accepted and passed, it would have ensured that both the Government and public bodies in exercising their functions would do so in a way that is designed to reduce the inequalities of outcome which result from socioeconomic disadvantage. The Bill recognises those additional sectors of society which require enhanced protection from the State in relation to policy and spending decisions.

We all know that times are hard in this country but what some of us fail to recognise is just how difficult they are for some of the poorest and most vulnerable in society. The Government came to office on a wave of promises in 2011 but soon afterwards it became apparent that many of its plans involved taking from some of the most vulnerable. Often, in order to create true equality we have to put the mechanisms in place to ensure that happens. This is one of those times. By using equality budgeting, we would ensure equality is placed well and truly at the centre of any decisions concerning public expenditure and income.

Equality budgeting has been internationally accepted as a means to deal effectively with inequality and poverty. Worldwide, more than 60 countries have adopted or are working towards equality budgeting. The time has come for Ireland to follow suit, to make a stand and provide a more just and equitable society for all. It is our duty as republicans - Sinn Féin does not claim ownership of the description "republican". Everyone who pledges allegiance to the 1916 Proclamation, and believes in the values and principles inherent in it, is a republican. All of us who are republicans have a responsibility to consider equality budgeting.

I endorse the vision for people with disabilities from the Disability Federation of Ireland. It called on the Government to take urgent action on three key areas. First, it urged the Government to halt reductions in the basic standard of living of people with disabilities requiring welfare supports. People with disabilities are most likely to experience real poverty because on top of the recent cuts in benefit levels and new charges, they also have to continue to pay for extras required due to their disability.

Second, the Government must ensure funding for the services needed by people with disabilities. Cutting the services required by people with disabilities not only undermines their lives, it also leads to a growing public burden in terms of hospital stays and expensive care costs.

Third, the Government must publish and show leadership on an ambitious implementation plan for the national disability strategy in keeping with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, where people have dignity, individual autonomy and full and effective participation in Irish society.

That is the vision and the achievable goals the organisation has set out. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, believes in equality and is committed to it. I wish him well in his new brief. I will work constructively with him to achieve the goals we share.

I commend Deputy Finian McGrath on bringing forward this motion, which we will support.

6:35 pm

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy.

Photo of Joe O'ReillyJoe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I join others in congratulating my colleague and friend, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, on his appointment to the position of Minister of State and wish him well in the role. I know he will bring his great depth of professional experience working with young people and his political experience to the role and he will do an outstanding and committed job. I also welcome this motion, tabled by Deputy Finian McGrath and his colleagues, as anything that brings this sensitive and important subject to the floor of the House must be welcomed.

It is a cliché to say that the manner in which a society engages with disabled people indicates the progress of that society, its political activity and democracy generally, but it is true. The amendment to the motion cites some figures and I want to read them into the record again. The Government spends almost €5 billion every year on disability services and €1 billion on income supports relating to illness and invalidity. The health service provided some €1.4 billion in 2014 for health and social services for people with disabilities. These figures include residential services for over 9,000 people, day services for 22,000 people, respite residential services for 6,000 people, 1.6 million hours of personal assistant home support, €7 million for additional places for school leavers, €3 million for emergency residential placements and €4 million for the development of services for children with disabilities. It is important in a rational debate that these figures go on the record, in light of some contributions from the other side of the House. The disability sector has always been a priority for this Government and remains so.

There is no point in evading the fact that this country experienced a horrendous recession that left us on the point of bankruptcy. As a consequence of the recession many people suffered enormously and a disproportionate amount of this suffering was experienced by people with disabilities. Happily, through visionary and prudent financial management, we are emerging from the recession. In the first quarter of the year we saw 2.7% growth and 60,000 jobs have been created in the past year. Income tax returns are up 10% and retail wages are up 3%. It behoves us to concentrate resources on those with disabilities and to exercise positive discrimination favouring disabled people who took the sharpest edge off the recession.

The low pay commission that is part of renewed Government priorities is significant for people with disabilities because those who are employed are often in low-paid jobs. The newly established Government priorities for 2014 to 2016 will result in the implementation of the value for money and policy review so budgets will be linked to activity and outputs. There will be a link between how money is spent and positive outcomes for people with disabilities and this is only right as taxpayers' money is being targeted on those who need it. There will be personalised, community-based services and this is important so people can live in their communities, access services and be looked after holistically. It is important that we devise strategies to deal with unemployment among disabled people and be ever-vigilant into the future on this issue. It is unquestionable that the level of unemployment is higher among disabled people. Even before the recruitment embargo, the quota system in the public service did not work properly as it tended only to absorb people within the public service who fell ill or developed a disability in the course of their work. The public service tended not to use the quota system to recruit new staff who were disabled and this must be examined.

The community-based model of residential service is evolving but needs more attention as various NAMA developments have the potential to help build the 25,000 private and social housing units per year promised by 2020. Some of these units should be targeted at people with disabilities as community residential care.

There is currently a controversy around the loss of funding by advocacy groups for people with disabilities and I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and the Cabinet to revisit this matter. There must be ways of reinstating this income and I hope it will be an outcome of this motion.

Carers are very important and I believe there is potential in the scheme for carers that has not yet been exploited. We could make caring a more attractive option for people in other low-paid jobs. It is not possible to go into great detail in a short period but the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and his colleagues must examine ways to expand the carer's allowance. Means testing is generous but could be improved and everything possible should be done to entice people to switch from low-paid employment to caring, which is also a form of real employment. There is great potential in this. The roll-out of primary care is a commitment in the priorities for Government because it is vital for the entire population, particularly disabled people who wish to live in their own communities and have a full life therein.

Improvements in the quota system when the embargo on public service recruitment is lifted must mean more targeted employment opportunities for disabled people. Employers must be offered incentives to take on disabled people and when general employment incentives are created there should be a mandatory element included for disabled people. If an employer is to benefit from tax relief for employing extra people a certain quota should be disabled. If we develop residential services and community living for people with disabilities they will live full lives because they will have access to everything they need.

The carer's allowance must be more attractive and those currently in receipt could be offered more benefits. The income threshold should also be increased and, in so far as possible, the carer's allowance should be increased incrementally. This will make caring a more attractive career and a real option for people. This would give many people with severe disabilities a greatly enhanced quality of life and allow them to live where they want to live, in their communities.

Thanks be to God in contemporary times we have made enormous progress from the traditional old-fashioned model of institutionalisation and all that went with it back in the dark days. Immense progress has been made but there is still a great need to do more and improve. Now that all the signs suggest we are emerging somewhat from recession, although we would not want to get carried away, it is important that we positively discriminate towards disabled people with the increased resources and greater flexibility in budgets, as they have borne the greatest brunt.

I repeat my request to the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and the Cabinet that we revisit the issue of the advocacy groups and their income.

6:45 pm

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Joe O'ReillyJoe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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It needs to be revisited.

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputies Dan Neville, Michelle Mulherin and Eamonn Maloney will share time.

Photo of Dan NevilleDan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I know mental illness is not a disability and that disability is not mental illness, but there is an alignment in the area of stigma and I wish to deal with this aspect. Stigma can be deeply hurtful and isolating. It is one of the most significant problems encountered by people with mental health problems. At another time it was also there for those who suffer from disability, but thankfully this has moved on. What we now want to highlight is that it is so important that the stigma which surrounded disability 40 or 50 years ago, and which surrounds mental illness now, moves on. Learning to live with a mental health problem is made more difficult when someone experiences the prejudice caused by stigma around mental ill-health.

Stigma can be used to exclude and marginalise people. The prejudice and fear caused by stigma can even prevent people from coming forward and seeking the help they need, which is especially true about young people and particularly young males. Stigma can also stop people offering help to or being supportive of people who suffer from mental ill-health. This is especially the case within families, which are not prepared to accept they should seek help or to advise a member of the family to seek help if he or she has a crisis or a mental ill-health problem.

Stigma often inhibits people from getting the jobs for which they are qualified and I will speak about this later because I have some statistics. It can prevent people with mental health problems from playing an active role in their communities. There is an economic cost to this because people who have a mental illness can contribute to our economy. There are also significant social and personal costs. People with mental health problems consistently identify stigma, discrimination and social exclusion as major barriers to their health, well-being and quality of life. Stigma can and does contribute to limiting access to housing and employment, damaging social relationships and social participation and reducing self-esteem in a big way.

When we speak about stigma we mean using negative labels to identify people with mental health problems. This used to be the case with regard to people with a disability, but thankfully this has moved on. Stigma has its roots in fear and misunderstanding. Many people hold negative opinions towards people with mental health problems because they do not understand the issues involved and they rely on myths and misconceptions. International research and policy documents identify stigma as one of the most persistent barriers to understanding mental health problems and the importance of mental health.

I wish to discuss some work and research done in this area in the time I have left. In September 2012, St. Patrick's Hospital conducted research on how the general public perceive people with mental health problems. We must bear in mind when people are asked the question about how they feel about mental health that they are likely to underestimate the level of stigma because they wish to be positive. A total of 20% believed those with mental health problems were below average intelligence. A total of 40% considered that seeking help for a mental health problem was a sign of personal failure. A total of 66% experienced reluctance to hire a person with a mental health problem, believing them to be unreliable. A total of 30% would not be willing to accept somebody with a mental health problem as a close friend.

In another study conducted by Amnesty International, which was conducted in September 2011, the organisation spoke to people who had suffered or were suffering a mental health problem to get their views. A total of 94% of those who suffered from a mental ill-health problem had experienced unfair treatment. A total of 70% concealed mental health problems, 50% stopped having a close relationship and 60% stopped working.

We must tackle negative labels for people who suffer from an illness over which they have no control over, just as I had no control over the illness with which I suffered at a certain stage in my life. We identify people with mental health problems very negatively. How do we talk about people? We ask whether they are mad. We say they are idiots. We say they are mental health cases, balmy, light in the head or not the full shilling. These are the labels we put on people who suffer from an illness. We face a challenge to get over this labelling, just as we did with regard to those with a disability.

I pay tribute to a Government organisation, See Change, and John Moloney, who established it when he was the Minister of State. It does much work in this area. People should look at its website and the work it does very quietly. It comes from such a low base given the negativity that it is a challenge. People will say we have not moved at all but I do not believe this. I have been working and campaigning in this area since 1990, when I was a Member of the Seanad and campaigned to decriminalise suicide, which we achieved in 1993. We have moved, but on a continuum from zero to ten we are at two or three. We have a long way to go in dealing with the issue.

It is no reflection on any Minister, but one of the reasons we do not make the investment we should in mental health is because our electorate does not demand it of us. When one canvasses, one hears about physical health problems, waiting lists and elderly people waiting on trolleys.

Do we ever hear about a child waiting for six months or 12 months for a psychiatric intervention or a psychiatric assessment? We do not because of the stigma that prevents people talking about it. I personally am told about it because I am identified with the issue, but if we are not told about it, we do not demand our Government or our political system to do something about it. In other words the reason that mental health has not been dealt with over the decades is that there are no votes in it. We need to raise the issue as a political one. I raised this when I was first elected to the Dáil many years ago and it was the first ever debate on a Private Members' motion on suicide. It has been debated quite often since then, but not as regularly as most health issues. We should bear in mind that one in four people at some stage in their lives will suffer from a mental health problem. It is an issue that should have more political attention.

I am using this opportunity to make comparisons with how people with disabilities were discriminated against in the past, including people in wheelchairs. There is still a certain level of stigma, but it is very minor. While we might talk down to somebody in a wheelchair, it has moved on in most areas of disability. It is moving on from the area of intellectual disability. We now understand intellectual disability differently from some years ago. There are two very good books in the Library here on the history of mental health in Ireland one of which goes back to the-----

6:55 pm

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's time is up.

Photo of Dan NevilleDan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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It is very interesting. We should see how we have moved on in the whole area of disability, including intellectual disability. We must move on in the whole area of mental health in order that this Government and future governments invest in it. We have had €90 million since we came into government, but we are coming from a very low base. It has its effect.

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's time is up.

Photo of Dan NevilleDan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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We are developing the community multidisciplinary mental health services.

Photo of Eamonn MaloneyEamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I take the opportunity to congratulate formally the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, and I wish him well in his new role.

I thank those who tabled the motion for discussion. It is quite appropriate that the voice of the disabled - there are many - is heard in this House. That is why I welcome discussion of this nature irrespective of the side of the House it comes from. None of us has a monopoly of care or love regarding those against whom nature has discriminated. It would be an error on our part and it would be to our shame that this Parliament would not come back to the subject on as many occasions as it possibly can in order that not only can we defend the gains that have been made for people who are disabled - I do not like the word - but in better financial circumstances the quality of life is extended and made better for people who fall into that category of being disabled.

I want to avoid going back over territory that was dealt with earlier in the debate. All of us, irrespective of the constituency we are in, have to pay tribute not only to the people who work full time for remuneration but also to those who volunteer and participate with disability groups and give their time freely, in some cases, as was acknowledged yesterday, a considerable amount of their time. These include people who do not have immediate family members who, unfortunately, have a disability of some nature. These are people who just volunteer. This is one of the great things that shows the decency of Irish people.

I know that one cannot get away from the media thing. Sometimes one has to reflect on the light that has been shone on Irish society in the past and maybe somewhat on the present. We have the report published today on those young people. If we go back a few weeks, there is another report and another report. One sometimes gets disillusioned and asks what sort of society and State operated given the scandals over how we treated our children, mothers and babies, child abuse, and clerical child abuse. At the time we had the debate in the House about clerical sexual abuse, I heard a woman on the radio say she was ashamed about her nationality with all this stuff coming out. It is frightening and embarrassing for a generation of people, but it is good that the whole thing is opened up and out there, irrespective of how we might feel about it.

I know the church takes a bit of stick, and rightly so. I have not been behind the door in giving it some stick over its control and monopoly of Irish society for too long. Those politicians who went before us were not the bravest either and they turned a blind eye to what happened. It is not simply a matter of punching at the church and pointing out what it did wrong. People like to use the word "State". I prefer to use the word "politicians" because - let us cut out the nonsense - they looked the other way unfortunately and that is where we are.

There has been no monopoly in terms of predecessors to the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, in terms of trying to protect the funding. Fair play to Deputy Neville for referring to the former Minister of State, Mr. John Moloney. If someone in another party takes a positive and useful initiative, it deserves to be acknowledged, and that is a good thing. In difficult times it is very important to protect what funding is there for people who, unfortunately, fall into this category. In better times as things improve, discussions should take place in this House to give a better quality of life to those against whom nature has discriminated.

I remember going, as many Irish emigrants did, to Hyde Park in London. There were many Irish accents there and it was a great place to turn up for someone interested in current affairs and politics. I remember an advocate, a volunteer, with a very strong Scottish accent getting on the platform. He used to turn up every Saturday. He always concluded his contribution by saying: "We are all disabled; it is just that some are more disabled." That is the reality of it. Some are more disabled. It is for those who are elected to this House on all sides to work for a better quality of living for the people who fall into this category.

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I wish to share time with Deputies Ross, Healy, Wallace, Clare Daly and Mattie McGrath.

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank Deputy Finian McGrath for submitting this Private Members' motion and for being a consistent champion on this issue.

I also wish the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, well in his new job. It is an important job and I have no doubt but he will make the very best effort in it. However, Members should not underestimate the challenges the country faces and the situation in which it finds itself. Members in this Dáil have debated and argued at length about the impact of austerity on all sorts of vulnerable sectors of society that really have been affected, often cruelly, by the economic crash and the austerity that has been imposed - I will not state we had to impose it. Many sectors have suffered but there is no doubt but that those with a disability, those with special needs, those with mental health issues and so on have suffered disproportionately as a result of the austerity programme. Every indicator shows that those with disabilities are affected worst by all these cuts regardless of whether they are imposed in respect of social welfare, education or health. They hurt a lot of people in all sorts of areas but they hurt people with disabilities more. Moreover, all facts and statistics make clear that people with disabilities are more likely to be poor and are becoming even more likely to be poor than other sectors of society. They are twice as likely, if not more, to suffer from or to be at risk of poverty, are more likely to be unemployed and are less likely to get into third level education. That is discrimination and when Members talk about women being likely to be paid less or being less well represented in particular areas of society, they call it what they should, namely, oppression and discrimination, and state that something must be done about it. However, this is precisely what people with disabilities suffer. They suffer oppression and discrimination and the facts bear out this. Consequently, imposing cuts in these areas is a cruel worsening of the position of a sector of society that already is severely disadvantaged and discriminated against.

At the most basic level, I think of those who attend my constituency clinic seeking stair lifts, walk-in showers or grab rails. They have suffered strokes and are physically disabled in some way or other but when they approach the local council to inform it that they need such items immediately, they are told they cannot have them for a year, because the budget has run out, as it has been cut. This simply is unacceptable. It is bad enough for people without disabilities who must try to access public services that are being cut but for those with disabilities, it is even worse. The subject of mental health was mentioned previously and something that is not being discussed enough is the fact there are no inpatient beds for young children with mental health issues. Therefore, they have been turned away when they have serious problems, sometimes when suicidal, or are being put into adult institutions, which are completely inappropriate for them. This is a breach of their human rights, is highly dangerous and is happening because of cuts that are being imposed in the area of health. Housing costs disproportionately affect the disabled and then of course there are cuts to the advocacy groups. Given that there is discrimination, disadvantage and so on for people with disability, the idea that the Government would take €1.2 million from those groups which advocate on their behalf is absolutely unacceptable and should be reversed.

Consequently, it is vitally important that this Private Members' motion is accepted, that those cuts are reversed, that the Government places an absolute special priority on ensuring the discriminatory and unfair position that affects people with disabilities will be remedied urgently and that there will be absolutely no further cuts affecting those with disability in the forthcoming budget.

7:05 pm

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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I join with my colleagues in congratulating Deputy Finian McGrath for once again bringing a serious problem, which gets neglected so often, to Members' attention. It is a problem that gets camouflaged by the kind of lip-service that often comes from Governments in situations where they are not prepared to do as much about something as they aspire to or have promised to do. I agree with all those who state quite simply that cuts to disability funding are unacceptable. It seems strange - I will not repeat the examples frequently quoted in this Chamber - that there could be expenditure on matters of some frivolity, while cutting back on those who are the most vulnerable in Ireland. This has been a consistent trend on the part of several Governments since the recession hit the country. While people have been prepared to line the pockets of their friends in lots of ways that are unacceptable, it is perceived that the disabled still are fair game for cuts.

I accept there is genuine consensus on all sides of this House that more should be done for the disabled. That is apparent in particular in the motion tabled by Deputy Finian McGrath but also in the words spoken by Members from all sides this evening. It also is apparent in the Government amendment. However, I cannot understand why the Government considered it necessary to amend this motion, which is moderate in its requirements, reasonable in its demands and I would have thought acceptable to any reasonable person, particularly in government, as well as being pretty cost-free. However, the Government responded by tabling a long-winded amendment in which it congratulated itself on a great many things it claims it has done. Moreover, in what to me are weasel words, it also refuses to take action in key areas. I will cite a couple of lines from it. It states it "recognises the central role which work plays in the lives of people with disabilities and is committed to the development of a comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities". That means absolutely nothing as being committed to a comprehensive - a long, fairly meaningless word - employment strategy for people with disabilities means there is no action. It goes on to state the strategy "will be published this year, as set out in the Action Plan for Jobs 2014". Publication is not action; publication is delay. Publication is something for which one waits and then decides on whether one will act or will then consult.

The point that I consider to be such a pity in this regard is that whereas there are genuine commitments to this, Members saw this particular commitment tested not long ago in an equally commendable Bill that was introduced by Deputy Finian McGrath and which was accepted by the Government in this Chamber on Second Stage. It now has been parked, presumably forever. It is no good to express one's agreement with a Bill only to park it somewhere, not bring it forward, not give time for it and not take action on it. That is cynical and is exploitation of the disabled. This motion recognises in a mature, sophisticated and absolutely necessary way that it is not good enough simply to give sympathy and funding. One must recognise that it is not adequate to recognise people's disabilities with funding alone but one must also state these are citizens, whose disabilities deprive them of employment and of care, as well as giving them a lesser chance in education and, consequently, they must be compensated for that.

Finally, I wish to note there was a really serious crisis in Rehab and the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC, where disabled people were not just neglected but were exploited.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Hear, hear.

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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This is something that has not been acted upon.

While there has been change, the Government has not shown any great enthusiasm, especially with regard to the attitude to those who exploited disabled people. There has been a slowing down. It should be recognised that those who suffered from the actions of the exploiters were disabled people. The Government should address the lack of any tangible recognition of this by removing the obstacles to compelling those who have questions to answer to appear before Oireachtas committees.

7:15 pm

Photo of Séamus HealySéamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group)
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I congratulate Deputy Finian McGrath on raising again the important issue of disabled people. The Deputy has consistently championed people with disabilities over the years, for which I thank him.

I also congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, on his elevation to office and hope things go well for him. The first item of business for the new Minister of State is to personally intervene to reverse cuts in funding for advocacy organisations. These cuts, which amount to €1.2 million and affect 26 advocacy organisations that support and advocate on behalf of people with disabilities, are unacceptable. Last evening, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, informed the House she was unaware of the cuts and had not been consulted on them. I ask the Minister of State to personally intervene to have them withdrawn.

Caring for a child or family member with disabilities is a major challenge, which has been made significantly more difficult by the austerity agenda pursued in recent years. Parents and carers face serious mental, physical and financial challenges and are under constant pressure as they fight to have their needs and entitlements met. As children with disabilities grow older, their parents and carers worry about what will happen to them when they are no longer around to look after them. As a result of the austerity measures implemented in recent years, 45% of people with disabilities endure income poverty and 36% experience deprivation, more than 50% of those living in jobless households are either children or adults with disabilities and those who are out of work through illness or disability endure the highest levels of poverty, approximately twice the national average. In those circumstances, it is vital that the cuts in funding and services are reversed. The number of day care, residential and respite places must not be reduced further. On the contrary, the number of places provided for people with disabilities must be increased.

I was contacted during the week about a case, which may appear minor to healthy individuals, where the principal carer of a child with disabilities became unwell. Notwithstanding the best efforts of grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings, if a carer is ill for any length of time, it creates a major problem. Particular attention should be paid to these types of cases, even if only during the summer months when most children attend summer camps. Perhaps places in such camps could be made available for children with disabilities. The individual who contacted me is very worried and believes the matter could be resolved by the provision of respite care or a place in summer camps.

Carers do a vast amount of work, the value of which to the State is estimated to be €4 billion per annum or one third of the budget of the Health Service Executive. Recent cuts to carers' payments must be reversed in the forthcoming budget. The half-rate carer's allowance must become a core payment. Cuts to the respite care grant must be restored to its previous level and the household benefits package for carers and people with disabilities must be reversed because these benefits are essential to the livelihoods of people with disabilities. I commend the motion.

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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I too wish the Minister of State well in his new challenge and hope he makes a positive impact.

While Deputy Finian McGrath's motion may be a statement of the obvious, the points therein need to be continually made in an effort to obtain fairness for some of the people who most need it. I will raise a number of issues, the first of which is the matter of respite care. Budget 2013 imposed a 19% cut to the respite care grant, which was significantly higher than other cuts made to the Department of Social Protection budget. In addition, respite care facilities have been closed without any replacements being put in place, which is putting families under serious pressure and stress. I support the call made by the Carers Association for the restoration of the respite care grant to €1,700 in budget 2015.

The Carers Association has also drawn attention to the challenges faced by those caring for adults with intellectual or mental health illness when applying for carer's allowance, carer's benefit or the respite care grant. According to the Carers Association, these people find that the forms and application process "weigh significantly in favour of those with a physical disability, while carers for those with an intellectual disability or mental health issue are forced to supply additional medical evidence". This is burdensome for carers and puts pressure on other people to write exhaustive reports, thus impacting on service delivery.

Those who have managed to get through the application process and are trying to appeal Department decisions about their eligibility for the carer's allowance, domiciliary care allowance or disability allowance are faced with significant delays in the processing of appeals. Many applications for these payments are being considered by internal medical assessors who do not meet the families involved. In this regard, I ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, to outline her plans to address the recent High Court finding in the case of B v. Minister for Social Protection. The court found that deciding officers in the Department abdicated their decision-making duties unlawfully by "slavishly following" the opinions of their internal medical assessors. All the deciding officers who were so heavily criticised remain in their posts and there has been no confirmation from the Minister that this policy has been set aside.

We know that at the end of March, more than 3,000 children and young people were waiting to be referred to mental health practitioners. This represents an 11% increase on the same period last year. It is disappointing that the new Child and Family Agency does not have the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, under its remit. This is a missed opportunity to have proper mental health services available to children in care.

Today, the Child and Family Agency published four reports into the deaths of young people in care, one of which identified critical gaps in mental health services. The relevant report stated:

This case highlighted a critical gap in psychiatric service provision for 16/17 year olds at this time, and the consequences of reliance on adult service for complex adolescents. It is now understood that many CAMHS services will work with young people up to the age of 18 years. However, services for this age range are still far from comprehensive, particularly when hospitalisation may be necessary.
What is the Government doing to address this issue? According to a recent report by the Inspectorate of Mental Health Services, a total of 83 children were admitted to adult psychiatric units in 2013. The report notes that although this number has decreased since 2009, "A Vision for Change (2006) recommended that mental health inpatient services for children up to the age of 18 years be provided by dedicated child and adolescent inpatient units". According to the Mental Health Commission's code of practice relating to admission of children, no admission of a child under the age of 18 years to adult units was to take place after December 2011. Given that this deadline elapsed two and a half years ago, why is this practice continuing?

I take the opportunity presented by this week's UN Human Rights Committee hearings to remind the Government that Ireland has still not ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Inclusion Ireland organisation was in Geneva to attend the UN hearings. They expressed serious concern that the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 will not be compliant with article 12 of the convention. These concerns were echoed by the UN committee.

Given that the State likes to think of itself as a bastion of human rights, ratifying the convention would be a concrete step in demonstrating this commitment.

7:25 pm

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him on his new brief which is a challenge. He will be judged on it. Deputy Ó Cuív made a good point last night when he said the Government backbenchers are fond of blaming Fianna Fáil for decisions they took while in office. The Minister of State is in office now and if he does not agree with what they did, he is in a position to change that.

It is an uphill struggle for people with disabilities and their families to access facilities and services so they can participate fully in society to the best of their potential. That struggle has not been made easier in the lifetime of the current Government. In fact, it has been made more difficult as conditions have deteriorated, so those with disabilities must engage in an almighty battle even for the basics. We could be here all night listing the problems, which include waiting lists for vital speech and language services, occupational therapy and physical therapy. There are long waiting lists but such services are often not available in some parts of Ireland.

The freeze on public sector recruitment and the non-replacement of staff on maternity leave mean that families are being left with nothing. There is also a crisis in the mental health sector. The Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum is not fit for purpose and should be subject to an immediate review of its facilities and staffing levels.

Deputy Wallace mentioned the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill and the fact that Ireland has not signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. All of these matters are hugely important but the treatment of children with disabilities is particularly abhorrent. The Government has fallen down in this regard.

A family sent me a letter a while ago and began by quoting from the autism task-force of about 15 years ago. That report said the implications are clear - this is a vulnerable, high risk group in urgent need of help. In fact, they are more disabled in many ways by the attitudes of society, the neglect of State services and lack of support, than they are by their core disability. That is the point. We could be implementing measures that transform the lives of people with disabilities, but we are not.

That starts with the education process in schools. There have been enormously detrimental changes at school level, including the SNA circular which has changed the whole criteria. If students are lucky they may get access to four hours of special needs assistance per week. Professional reports, however, are not being taken into account by the special educational needs organisers, SENOs, and there are many other instances.

The people who wrote to me said they had listened to the previous Minister for Education and Skills telling us that the disability budget is the same as that for An Garda Síochána. They said they need a truly independent, statutory inspection and a root and branch review, exactly like what is being undertaken in An Garda Síochána, to deal with best international practice for children. We have really failed in this respect, however.

The treatment of the deaf community could be sorted out easily. Deaf people are being marginalised and excluded when they should not be. This group of citizens has significantly lower employment expectations due to some of the measures in place. The cutting of the Deaforward Advocacy Service is scandalous and does not take into account deaf people's real lives. Some people think it is a matter of bringing in sign language because they can read, but that is not enough. Some 80% of deaf adults have a literacy level akin to an eight or nine year old. They cannot read or write to the same level and are thus excluded.

Things that would be simple for other people are not available for the deaf. They cannot ring someone up to get support and information, so they need advocacy services. The Irish Deaf Society's YouTube clip highlights all the areas of need. They may require private medical treatment, for example, and in addition deaf parents do not want their children reading out private correspondence on personal health matters. They need a third party to do that work. Those people's first language is Irish sign language, which they want to have recognised. It should be recognised and it is deeply regrettable that it has not been. It is insulting that the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, put off that decision. She said we need to have the services in place before we can recognise Irish sign language.

For a saving of €70,000 that advocacy service, which transforms the lives of deaf people, was axed. If the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Riordáin, does nothing else, he should reverse that cut. He will be judged on such actions and will benefit from them.

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I compliment Deputy Finian McGrath and thank him for allowing me to speak on his motion. I salute him for his continuous work for those with disabilities. I welcome Mr. John Dolan and others from the Disability Federation of Ireland who are in the Public Gallery.

The motion is simple and straightforward, unlike the Government's amendment which contains language that means nothing to people with disabilities. Why could the Government not have just accepted this motion?

I wish the new Minister of State well, but the Taoiseach missed an opportunity yesterday to demonstrate full interest in and caring for people with disabilities by not appointing a senior Minister to that role. Such an appointment could look after those people. As Deputy Neville said, we are all disabled in many ways, some more than others. I salute Deputy Neville and others who support this motion but who unfortunately, because of the Whip system, will have to troop in behind the Government to vote it down.

The Government amendment is full of self-congratulatory statements, which are empty and valueless. In the last budget, we saw the attacks, including cuts, on people with disabilities. If evidence is needed it is to be found in this Government's record. As Deputy Ó Cuív said, Government backbenchers keep blaming the last Government, but they have been in government for almost three and a half years now. Apart from the annual budgets, there have been three or four savage attacks on people with disabilities. They had to come up here to protest last summer and threatened to sit outside Leinster House all night. The former Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, said he knew nothing about it.

Last night, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, said she did not know anything about last week's 25 cuts to the advocacy groups by Pobal. What is going on? Are the lunatics running the asylum? They cannot claim they do not know. They are elected by the people to govern, so they must do so.

There is a sustained attack by some sections in Government - I am not saying politicians, but by the permanent government - to cut and row back on payments for those with disabilities. It is shameful. They should not have to come here and fight to be looked after. We will be judged on how we look after ourselves.

The cuts to advocacy groups are appalling and to think that Pobal is administering this. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, said last night that she did not know anything about it. The former Minister, Deputy Hogan, who was in charge of Pobal, has now left these lands for greener pastures. No one cares. Pobal is the same organisation that administers child care and grant aid for many other sectors. It is another quango which, like the HSE, was set up as an intermediary body that we can blame.

Last week, we saw where an independent report would not sign off on the €2.5 million spent by Pobal going around to inspect areas involved in an early child care study. Pobal was inspecting the matter while it is also administering it, so the fox is minding the chickens. It is farcical and it had better change. As long as that situation continues, the Minister of State will have no hope of changing anything. It is easy to blame Pobal which is an independent organisation, but it is not the same as voluntary organisations, such as the Irish Wheelchair Association and countless others, whose members are out day and night looking after people with disabilities. They have busy lives but devote their spare time to raising funds through church gate collections, organising golf classics and bringing those on respite grants away for holidays. They do all this in a voluntary capacity. Then we can see what went on at the Central Remedial Clinic, which was disgraceful.

It is time the Government intervened and took charge of this sector. It should take charge of running the country because it is not only this area that is out of kilter and out of touch.

Pobal is administering the scheme and it is also supposed to monitor it, for which it is claiming considerable amounts of money. It is claiming €2.5 million when €1.2 million would keep 25 organisations, such as the Huntington's Disease Association of Ireland, in operation. Money is being cut for people with the most debilitating diseases, €25,000 in some cases. It is merciless and disgraceful for Government Members to rub their hands and blame Pobal. The Taoiseach stated yesterday and today that it is possible to appeal decisions. These appeals get us nowhere. Where is the humanity in Government and State institutions like the HSE or the many quangos that have been established despite the Government's promise to abandon them? If the Taoiseach was sincere about this issue, he would appoint a full Minister with responsibility for disabilities. Given the mess of the health services, we cannot rely on the HSE to look after this area. I appeal to the Minister of State, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, to rein in Pobal and recoup this money. If his predecessor does not know, I ask him to find out why these cuts were imposed. Will people have to wait four months for a decision on an appeal even though staff are depending on the funding? Shame on this Government for attacking the poorest of the poor.

7:35 pm

Photo of Aodhán Ó RíordáinAodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I thank Deputies for their kind remarks on my appointment. I welcome the opportunity to speak on disability services and to outline the extent of this Government's commitment to people with disabilities. I commend my colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, on her single minded commitment to achieving a better and fairer outcome for people with disabilities. This goal is also relevant to me in my new role as Minister of State with responsibility for equality. My objective until the end of this Government's term is to set out the equality agenda not only as a societal need, but also as an economic need. As has been noted on all sides of the House this evening, countries that are more equal do better.

There was a perception in the past in this country and most other jurisdictions that people with disabilities should adapt themselves to society. It is important to restate what the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, said last Tuesday, namely, people with disabilities are not ill and do not need to be fixed. Thankfully, there is now recognition that society needs to change. People with disabilities must be supported as full and equal citizens of this country who participate in Irish society on the same basis as any other citizen. This principle is at the heart of the Government's approach to issues affecting those with disabilities.

As Deputy Maloney correctly pointed out, no side of this House has a monopoly of wisdom in this regard. Tremendous work has already been done to improve supports for families, provide early intervention services, streamline access to therapy services for children and provide dedicated resources for children with special education needs, an area close to my own heart. Ten years ago the special education budget amounted to approximately €450 million. At the height of the boom in 2009 it was €750 million. Now it is approximately €1.3 billion, or 15% of the entire education budget. At the end of this year, nearly 11,000 special needs assistants will be working in the Irish education system, which is more than ever, and the number of special classes has increased by 60% since the 2010-11 academic year. We still face challenges, however. For example, in the context of an increase of 2% in the student intake last year, the number of students with special educational needs increased by 11%.

As students progress to adulthood, disability services are being transformed. We are moving towards the delivery of a person centred model of support whereby people with disabilities are no longer the passive recipients of an often segregated service but instead have more control over their own lives. We are also rationalising administrative processes to make services more effective, efficient and responsive. One example is the success achieved this year in the provision of life skills training and day supports for school leavers with disabilities. The Government's commitment to implementing a comprehensive employment strategy will be a vital aspect of the whole of government approach to disability issues. The inclusion of the strategy in the Action Plan for Jobs and the subsequent monitoring through the Cabinet committee of Pathways to Work reinforces the principle of mainstreaming. This is a central tenet of the national disability strategy and it means that issues which affect people with disability should be addressed by the public bodies which have responsibility for these issues.

Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Michael Wallace and Clare Daly referred to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is a priority for me. I understand that the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013, which is awaiting Committee Stage, will deal with most of the issues that hinder ratification. Further legislation will be needed to deal with other issues, such as reasonable accommodation, but most of what needs to be done has already been scoped out. I expect to bring proposals to Government on further necessary legislation in the next six months. The necessary consultation with relevant Departments is under way and should be finalised shortly.

Speakers on all sides of the House raised the issue of funding for advocacy groups. I will take on board the comments made and commit to the House that I will discuss the matters raised with the Minister of State, Deputies Kathleen Lynch, and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly. Services are provided to people with disabilities across many areas of government. New developments in housing and employment activation show that the Government is pushing out the boundaries to enable people with disabilities to participate more fully in society. Funding provided to programmes outside the health budget, in addition to the HSE's annual expenditure of €1.4 billion, enables people with disabilities to avail of an extensive range of financial supports and services. The challenge for all of us will be to ensure this funding is used to best effect to facilitate full participation in society by people with disabilities.

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment and wish him well. Last week, international media, particularly in the United States, watched in bewilderment as the possibility emerged of emergency legislation being drafted in this country to allow five Garth Brooks concerts to proceed in Croke Park. The singer was apparently up in arms that 400,000 ticket holders are going to be let down but he refused to discriminate against 160,000 of those fans by holding three concerts. The number of disabled people in this country who are being let down and discriminated against on an all too regular basis stands at almost 600,000, enough to fill Croke Park seven times over. While some of this discrimination is beyond the Government's control, a huge amount of it is actually its own doing. The recent withdrawal of almost €1.2 million in funding from 25 disability and care focused groups has been widely acknowledged as decimating the sector. Core services and supports have been consistently hacked away by the current administration. Many families living with disability tell me that dignity and independence is a thing of the past and that they are struggling to get by on a day-to-day basis. Support organisations such as Chronic Pain Ireland report that they can barely last until the end of the year unless the cuts are reversed. It is a terrible indictment that such organisations might go to the wall. It is unthinkable that we would allow services like Chronic Pain Ireland to be destroyed.

The impact of these cuts is not felt in isolation. They have a huge knock-on effect on the family of the person with a disability. I refer not only to the grotesque cuts to services, but also the devastating and disproportionate impact that sweeping taxes and charges are having on the disabled, a case in point being the upcoming water charges. In recent days I was approached by a family who expressed serious concern about how the water needs of their two disabled children will be calculated as part of the families' overall water bill. These children, like many people with disabilities, have greater sanitation and laundry requirements. This family is one of the hundreds of cases Deputies are encountering. People do not know what to do as yet another horrendous burden is placed on people with disabilities and their families.

The 2011 census painted a stark picture of the place in our society in which many disabled people are just existing. For example, among disabled people aged 15 to 49, one in six has completed no higher than primary level education, with one quarter of disabled people getting as far as second level education. Naturally, this disadvantage extends into the workplace, as people with a disability are less than half as likely to be active in the labour market and are more likely to experience workplace discrimination, according the Equality Authority. Research by that organisation indicates only 36% of people with a disability are active in the labour force. Ireland's employment rate of people with disabilities is notably lower than the European average, despite the issue being brought to the attention of successive Governments. The danger is a reinforcement of a perception that people with disabilities are a burden on the State, although in my experience, the opposite is true. Most disabled people I have met strive for independence and equality and want nothing more than to make a meaningful contribution to society. They need to be supported in this.

As my colleagues noted earlier, the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva discussed some serious breaches of human rights in our society. We speak of this time after time but we still have not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The commitments contained in that document have often been made by Irish politicians and all too easily they are neglected. Deputy Finian McGrath's motion would go a significant way towards promoting, protecting and strengthening the human rights of all persons with disabilities in this country. I, along with many others present, have read the motion. Support groups and many people throughout the country have indicated it is a reasonably worded motion and Deputy Finian McGrath has put much effort and thought into it. He has had a barrister examine it, for example. I urge the Members opposite, even at this late stage, to support it.

7:45 pm

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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I have heard a few people talk about "disability" in this debate and say they may find it embarrassing to say the word. I do not accept that. A disability is only a disability when barriers are put up and it is up to society to take away those obstacles. For example, if a dyslexic person cannot read in a class, there would be immediate intervention and recognition that this may be a problem for a person. The child in question would be assessed and brought into educational surroundings he or she requires. I know many dyslexic children who went to a particular school to develop their education before going on to be accountants, for example, and play a key role in society. This is where our society has let down people and the austerity process has put up barriers again. Rather than seeing those barriers coming down, people with disabilities are seeing them going up. The Irish Deaf Society had confidence to demand that Irish Sign Language be recognised, but its funding has been pulled and its offices have closed. It is another brick in the wall for those people to surmount in achieving dignity and accessibility in order that they can play a role in society at a much higher level.

The Government amendment to Deputy Finian McGrath's motion is a disgrace and does not recognise such efforts. The Government's record in disability services and support is a complete contradiction of the Government's stated objectives. The amendment repeats the lofty aspirations of the national disability strategy and includes a comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities to be published this year as part of the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs. That is a very slow process and it does not approach the mark of addressing those issues.

The Government has constantly chipped away at specific disability supports, along with mainstream supports. Some 45% of people with disabilities experience income poverty, which means there is something fundamentally wrong. This is not about statistics but real people. The list of cuts is outrageous and every year there is a cut in HSE funding for disability services. There have also been cuts in the housing adaptation grant and capping of special needs assistants. The Minister of State has said that more money will be put into this because there are 2% more children in the education system but that number could decrease by 2% in five years. We must adapt in being able to resource these children.

People feel their children are not being supported within mainstream school. We have spoken about the argument of mainstreaming people so people will not be seen as having a disability, as the Travellers are not treated as a section of society requiring needs. If we do not have proper structures in place to support people, we will be putting barriers up against some in our communities.

Among the cuts is a decrease in mobility and motorised transport allowances. The motor fuel payment used to be quarterly to disabled drivers but it is now paid once a year, making it more difficult for people to be able to manage their income over 12 months. That was a major blow for people when it was implemented in a Finance Bill. The number of personal assistants has been cut and there is a severe decrease in the number of house support hours and the respite care grant. There have also been cuts to the household benefits package and an increase in prescription charges, which have particularly affected those who are disabled.

Despite promises, there have been cuts in basic social welfare payments such as disability allowance, the blind pension, invalidity and carer's allowance. The latest revoking of funding for a scheme for the 26 disability organisations is an absolute scandal. It was shocking to hear the Minister of State say yesterday she did not know about this, and we should ask why that was so. She has been responsible for equality and disability matters. I have more to say but I will finish on that point.

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to this very important motion. I wish the new Minister of State well and congratulate him on his new portfolio. I thank all the Deputies who contributed to this very important two-day debate on disability matters. It is important to keep this issue on the political agenda and we have a long way to go to ensure all our citizens can be treated equally with respect and dignity. I thank my colleagues in the Technical Group for their great support, dedication and commitment on this issue.

We either believe in equality or we do not. We either support inclusion or we do not. There can be no buts or ifs with this matter. In responding to the Government, we must focus on a number of key priorities, as some must be dealt with tonight, tomorrow or the immediate days afterwards. Many of my colleagues raised the issue of €1.2 million in funding which has been lost to the 26 disability organisations before the commencement of the summer recess in the Oireachtas this week. There were 26 bodies which saw their funding through a scheme to support national organisations, run by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, revoked on 30 June. As we heard last night, the Minister of State with responsibility for the implementation of the national disability strategy, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, confirmed she had not been advised on this development. That is not good enough.

I was interested to hear the Minister of State speak about equality and full and equal rights. This is a smokescreen, as the Government is in charge. It should stop cutting services to people with a disability. The Minister of State has said we can discuss these matters tomorrow but that is not good enough.

If the Minister of State believes in inclusion he will stop these cuts tomorrow. Listening to some of the speakers on the Government side last night one would think everything was hunky-dory in the disability sector. Some of their contributions astounded me.

To put it in context, I received a letter this morning from a person with a disability. He thanked us for the motion but said that the budget cuts to the disability sector which this Government has enforced since 2011 have effectively set the sector back 100 years. He said lives are on the edge when a person with a serious debilitating illness can get only one hour of personal assistant help a week. That says a lot about this Government. There are many other such letters too.

We need to focus on the real issues for people with a disability. There was an average cut of 4.1% in disability allowance, invalidity pension and carer's allowance in 2011. There was a 19% cut to the respite care grant in 2013. There have been changes in eligibility for a community child care subvention scheme. There is a growing waiting list for personal assistant hours while 1,308 of our citizens need personal assistant hours. This is the real world. There are 27,256 people with intellectual disabilities. There are 197 people who need a day service now. That is a small figure that could be dealt with in one simple budgetary measure. There are also 2,271 people looking for residential services. There are 2,054 who need residential support services for the first time.

I call on the Minister of State and the Government to ensure that all people with a disability are guaranteed a service as a right. I demand an end to cuts to front-line services. I also request the appointment of a senior Minister with dedicated responsibility for disability inclusion. We need to prioritise funding of disability services and pursue the implementation of agreed measures, targets and timelines. In 2011, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste spoke on "Prime Time" before the election and promised that disability was their priority issue. I call on the Government to implement that plan, stop the waffle and talk, and support people with disabilities. They are have rights. They are our citizens and I urge all Deputies from all parties to support this motion.

Amendment put:

The Dáil divided: Tá, 73; Níl, 45.

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Paul Kehoe and Emmet Stagg; Níl, Deputies Finian McGrath and John Halligan.

Níl

Amendment declared carried.

Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."

The Dáil divided: Tá, 74; Níl, 45.

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Paul Kehoe and Emmet Stagg; Níl, Deputies Finian McGrath and John Halligan.

Níl

Question declared carried.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.15 p.m. until 9.30 a.m. on Thursday, 17 July 2014.