Results 521-540 of 1,150 for speaker:Frank Fahey

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (15 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The amendment proposes to remove ministerial discretion in making provision for people with disabilities in the Long Title by deleting the reference to resource availability. Fundamental differences between the Government's position and that of the Opposition were evident during Second Stage. It will not, therefore, come as a surprise that I do not intend to accept the amendment. I wish to...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (15 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Yes, they were. We must face up to that reality. For some reason best known to ourselves as a society, people with disabilities did not rate. That is the reason the Church and voluntary bodies carried the can on their behalf completely and they are still involved. That is also the reason the culture in the State until recently was that people were locked up in the most horrendous fashion. We...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (15 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: In response to Senator Terry's question, the Long Title takes its present form because it reflects the provisions contained in the Bill. This is a cross-cutting Bill, involving several Departments and, as Senator Dardis has said, it is necessary that the Long Title of the Bill reflects the provisions therein. This is one of the most complex pieces of legislation that has ever been brought...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The proposed amendment seeks to expand the definition of disability by adding the text to include, "a person with a physical or mental impairment which has substantial or long term effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". I appreciate the Senators' intentions are to ensure specific conditions will be covered by the definition, particularly multiple sclerosis. I assure...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: I forgot to reply to Senator O'Rourke, which would be a major mistake on any man's part.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: I do not have a list of disabilities but disability is defined as "a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation". If the level of epilepsy is such that it causes substantial restriction in that regard then it is covered by the Bill. To repeat an example I gave in the Dáil, where clinical depression is curable it is not within that...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: A public body is defined in section 2(1) in line with the Bill's focus on the provision of access for specialist and mainstream public services. It covers a broad range of bodies in the public service. As I stated last week, the Bill places significant obligations on those bodies under Part 3 in respect of accessible buildings and services and under Part 5 in respect of employment of people...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: On Committee Stage, I indicated that the definition of specified bodies was being reviewed by the Parliamentary Counsel to address technical concerns. Following this review, I now present amendment No. 5 which ensures that the definition of specified bodies is confined to bodies such as the HSE and the courts, which operate with their own financial Votes where the relevant Minister does not...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The amendment I brought forward on Committee Stage in the Dáil to allow for a review of the operation of the Bill's provisions within five years of commission covers the amendments tabled. The five year timeframe links the timing of the review with the end date of the multi-annual investment programme of 2009. The Government amendment was in response to proposals made by the DLCG which...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Amendments Nos. 7 and 21 are technical amendments which relate to the reference in the Bill to personal advocates assigned by Comhairle to assist, support and represent persons with a disability to apply for access services under Part 2 in addition to social services generally. As the Comhairle (Amendment) Bill 2004 has yet to be enacted I have been advised by the Parliamentary Counsel that...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Yes.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: It still is. It is not affected by this technical amendment.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Amendment No. 8 would require assessment reports to contain a priority list of services and the timing for their delivery. The principle already established in the Bill is that the assessment report would set out all required services and indicate the order for their provision, together with the optimal time scales for their delivery. I am not convinced that the amendment proposed would add...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: There will be flexibility with regard to service statements. As further resources become available, a service statement can be added, or if personal circumstances change, a service statement can be added. When it comes to the reality of how this will operate, on the basis of it being a person centred seamless approach from the HSE, then a person can expect to have a continuous relationship...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Amendments Nos. 10 and 11 are technical amendments which recognise that under section 8(8) the applicant will be invited rather than required or obliged by the assessment officer to attend a meeting.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Amendment No. 12 is a technical amendment which seeks to provide clarity in section 9(4) that it is the person with disability who is the subject of an assessment.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: As I promised Senator Terry last week when she noted her concern to identify unmet service needs, I have reviewed the provisions in section 13. Notwithstanding Senator Terry's amendment on the matter, I am pleased to present amendment No. 14 which requires the inclusion of additional data in the HSE report to provide a fuller picture of those with unmet needs. The amendment will ensure the...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Unmet aggregate needs will be identified and the HSE will be required to outline all identified needs to indicate the periods of time ideally required to provide services, the sequence of provision and the estimated costs involved. The amendments will facilitate a detailed analysis of service provision and areas of unmet need. The data will be available to the public in published reports. The...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Pretty much.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: We have reviewed the situation and are satisfied that Government amendment No. 14, which will require that additional data is included in the HSE report, will give a fuller picture of those unmet needs. This will ensure that it will deliver a profile of the persons who are not getting all the services identified in the assessment. Amendment No. 14 will insert a new paragraph (e) in section 13(1).