Results 141-160 of 218 for speaker:Tony Kett

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Tony Kett: If one is prescriptive about what constitutes a personal social service, as Senator Terry's amendment advocates, one must then include everything. If one does not do this and leaves something out, then it will be assumed that the service is not covered by the Bill. For instance, under social services one can include counselling, social clubs, holidays, respite breaks as distinct from respite...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Tony Kett: In a strange way, this is the kernel of what we are about here because for the first time, we will now be able to determine exactly what we are not doing for people with disabilities when the service statement is compared with the statement of assessment. This is something we were never able to do before; we were basically looking into a black hole. When this new system is up and running, we...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Tony Kett: It is not possible in all cases to have a maximum period of three months placed on the finalisation of an assessment. A number of issues could arise if a small baby with developmental problems was brought for assessment. It would be impossible to complete an assessment within three months because of the child's size and emerging problems that may come to the fore in an ongoing assessment. It...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Tony Kett: I understand the point made by the Minister of State in terms of looking at the role rather than the individual. However, if I were drawing up an assessment, I would be somewhat reluctant to draw up a service statement at the same time. It would be difficult to remove one hat and assume another in an area which will be resource-led, because the assessment will be independent of resources....

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Jun 2005)

Tony Kett: I sympathise with Senator Terry in this regard, but I accept what the Minister of State has said. One cannot impose a timeframe where there are other imponderables such as staffing involved. For example, if when somebody is sent to a voluntary body for a particular part of an assessment, the body is short-staffed, the assessment will have to be made by another body. That puts a time...

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

Tony Kett: There is reasonable merit in Senator O'Meara's comments. The assessment, while it is not resource driven, is key to the requirements in the first instance. I accept there is provision to disagree with the service statement if one so desires. However, if a person disagrees with an assessment, irrespective of the resources provided, that is a major problem, leaving aside what might happen...

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

Tony Kett: I will not belabour the point as I have listened to the Minister. The person making the assessment is gleaning information from the applicant or from his or her advocate. One can imagine a situation whereby an applicant would be nervous before the assessment and forgets some piece of information needed by the assessor in order to make an absolute assessment. On realising that something has...

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

Tony Kett: The Minister replied to the point I made and the provision in section 9(8) goes some distance towards resolving the issue I raised. I do not see any danger in the amendment tabled by Senator O'Meara. There is merit in subsection (8)(c).

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

Tony Kett: This amendment is catered for in section 18(4) which states, "The period referred to in subsection (3) may be extended by the appeals officer concerned (at the request in writing of a person referred to in subsection (1) or (2)) for a further period not exceeding 12 weeks...". That brings the period to three months in certain circumstances, which caters for what this amendment seeks. There...

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

Tony Kett: Given that the Government is trying to save resources, where possible, it seems to me that it would be appropriate to give responsibility of this nature to the health and safety officers who are normally employed in all organisations. Such officers are employed to deal with any problems or dangers which may arise in organisations, including organisations which are involved with people with...

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

Tony Kett: I support that. I do not know why some Departments are not included in the network, but I believe in disability proofing. I would also encourage those people with responsibility for decision making in the Departments to be more disability aware as part and parcel of their ongoing education. If they are thinking disability, then disability will have a greater role in all the decisions made in...

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

Tony Kett: I agree with the general thrust of Senator Terry's comments because this is an area that is very important to people with disabilities. We are back to disability proofing and thinking disability. Those who employ or do not employ people with disabilities, particularly in the Civil Service, should be forced to think more deeply about the abilities of people with disabilities. On Second Stage...

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

Tony Kett: I understand the argument being made by other Senators. We should not confuse the minimum wage that is given to people with disabilities who are in actual employment with the wage that is given to people with disabilities who are engaged in training. People in the latter group are also entitled to receive a limited amount of money under the disabled payment maintenance allowance scheme. If...

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

Tony Kett: We have discussed the issue of resources as it relates to the Bill since yesterday and I am not surprised it has arisen again. All Government activity is resource-based, as the Government can do nothing unless it has the money to do so. If there were not a reference to resources in the Long Title, I would be very suspicious. One must show one's resources if one is to carry out certain...

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

Tony Kett: Does epilepsy come under this?

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

Tony Kett: I agree with Senator O'Rourke. If the amendments are adopted they will be part and parcel of the legislation and people must act upon them. To ask private bodies to make their building accessible even though only a minute proportion of their business relates to the disability sector would be unfair. A "one size fits all" approach is not appropriate and there is a danger that these businesses...

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

Tony Kett: The Minister of State has covered this issue in the Bill in that he said he will review the legislation within five years, commencing within two years. We will need that amount of time, if not the five years, to see whether this is kicking in. I am sure the Minister of State will look at it on an ongoing basis, not to mention review it after a certain number of years. The review could take...

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

Tony Kett: I think Senator Terry expressed a doubt that the service statement may not be met, as distinct from the assessment. My understanding is that the service statement is resource led and consequently, the service statement, when initiated, will be met. That might not always be possible, although I agree that the principle is a good thing. It might be a good thing to prioritise. I am thinking of...

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

Tony Kett: It will be of help in regional areas to publish a profile of needs. If one needs to know how many people with spina bifida live in the midlands, one will be able to establish the statistics from the information which will now be made available. Going forward, the statistics will be manifestly helpful in establishing funding requirements in various regions. We will have concrete knowledge of...

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

Tony Kett: I share some of Senator Tuffy's concerns on this issue. The Minister of State based his Committee Stage argument on the fact that the assessor would be wholly independent, which I accept. However, I am concerned about what would happen in the case of an assessor being incompetent and making a hames of an assessment for one reason or another. This brings me to the issue of the skills of an...