Results 36,801-36,820 of 50,909 for speaker:Micheál Martin
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: That is rubbish. The Taoiseach got rid of demographic bodies.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: That is frightening.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: The past 12 months have not been good for people with disabilities. It has been a year of cutbacks, fear, anxiety, worry, frustration and anger. The anger is mainly directed at the Government and those in authority who do not seem to realise the impact of cuts on the ground for people with disabilities. We are hearing this loud and clear from parents across the country on a continuing...
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: -----that the only children that cannot be guaranteed a place coming out of school are young people with disabilities.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: Yes, when we were in power there was continuing demographic-----
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: There was provision. That is the point. Demographic funding was an ongoing provision for young people leaving school with special needs. They were provided a place which in total came to €20 million per annum. The Health Service Executive, HSE, has confirmed that such funding has been gotten rid of. I want to take the case of Emma, a young girl, 19 years of age, with severe autism...
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: The HSE officials told the mother that they were not in a position to provide additional funding for school leavers in 2012. The Minister confirmed that to me in writing.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: There has been a ruthless review of the domiciliary care allowance, particularly in so far as it applies to children with autism. Up to 60% of all applications for domiciliary care allowance in the first six months of this year were refused. Up to half of applications for children with autism were refused. I want to cite a case of a young child called Alex-----
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: This is an important point.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: I will finish it quickly. His is a case of severe social impairment, challenging behaviour, speech delay, he has been described as a flight risk and requires constant supervision. The Department of Social Protection stated this child is not entitled to a domiciliary care allowance. Will the Taoiseach accept there was a lack of basic funding in last year’s budget for people with...
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: Will he ensure adequate funding for school placements next year?
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: With the greatest respect, the system knows this case very well. I did not raise it this morning so that the Taoiseach could take another file from me just to process it back around again. This is a familiar response from the Taoiseach when we are raising issues of systemic importance.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: The issue here is a decision by the Government to get rid of the annual demographic funding that was provided for young people with special needs who left school. In the case to which I referred, the HSE representatives stated they had not received any demographic funding for new residential places in 2011 and 2012 and, therefore, they were not in a position to fund a full-time residential...
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: That is the root of the issue. It was summed up by a parent who wrote to me on this. Parents of children with disabilities are angry because normally at age 18 all students from------
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: -----the school go on to placements. Children without special needs can move on to placement. It is the children with special needs who seem to have the largest problem getting placements. This can be dealt with and resolved.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: Last year, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, was boasting that she got rid of the demographic funding and the service providers were in a position to cope.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: The service providers are not in a position to cope.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: They are telling people and every Member this. We know it from the parents of the children who are coming to talk to us.
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: I am asking the Taoiseach to sort out the broader problem and issues so as to avoid this targeting of people with special needs both in school placements and the application of the domiciliary care allowance. The most dreaded word for parents of children with disabilities is "review". Once they see that word-----
- Leaders' Questions (28 Nov 2012)
Micheál Martin: -----they get very angry and fearful because it means special and ruthless targeting of people with special needs.