Results 61-80 of 1,057 for speaker:Tom Clonan

Seanad: Disability (Personalised Budgets) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Minister for coming to the House this evening, and for meeting me in the past weeks to discuss this piece of legislation. I appreciated that engagement. I will put a context for moving this personalised budgets Bill to debate stage. Ireland is, by all objective measurements, an ableist State. That is a shameful state of...

Seanad: Disability (Personalised Budgets) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I have heard nothing this evening to persuade me that there is any reason for delaying this for 18 months. I say that also in the context of a pattern emerging on the part of the Government to put a timed amendment on all legislation proposed by Opposition Members. I thought that, as a Chamber, we had a collegiality here that set us apart from...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: The idea that diagnosis is not required is an extraordinary assertion. I would like to put that on the record.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: As a committee, for somebody to assert that diagnosis is not required flies in the face of all international evidence. It is a most extraordinary assertion. Can you imagine if someone was to say that about cancer or cardiology services?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: Following on with decongregation, we had HIQA before the committee the year before last. In their time to move on the process of decongregation they said that they had decongregated between 5,000 and 10,000 disabled citizens. When I asked HIQA where they went, I was told that they do not map that. I can tell the witnesses that a lot of them go into crisis. They return to elderly parents...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I am curious. Where are we performing well? Where are we best in class in Europe?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: Would Dr. Hartney agree that we are outliers for disabled citizens in Europe? We have an explicitly ableist State.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I put it to Dr. Hartney that we are in crisis. Who designed the CDNTs?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: It was 2009. It is quite recent. The National Disability Authority is commissioned to investigate it. I would imagine that if it was investigating it then it would speak to the people who designed it. Who are they?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: Was there a risk assessment carried out for the roll out of CDNTs and PDS?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: The authority says on its homepage that it consults disabled persons' organisations. Will Dr. Hartney tell me which ones?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I echo that. May Jacqui rest in peace. I have spoken on a number of platforms with her. She was a great lady. My sympathies to her family and friends. On assessments of need, since I have been elected, I have travelled to lots of other jurisdictions to investigate services and supports for disabled citizens throughout the European Union. I find it very interesting that, throughout the...

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: To reiterate, disabled citizens in other European Union jurisdictions have not just a legal right to the assessment, but also the services, supports, surgeries or whatever is set out in the assessment of needs. Does the NDA believe that is something that is desirable here?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: It is the National Disability Authority that advises the Government on policy in this area. It is the national expert. Does it advocate for disabled citizens in Ireland, not just to have a legal right to an assessment of need, but to all the services, supports and interventions that are set out in such an assessment of need?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: Just to be specific, we are the only country in the European Union where disabled citizens have no legal right to services, supports, therapies, interventions or personal assistants. Would Dr. Hartney favour Irish citizens coming into line with the rest of our European Union partners and having those legal and socioeconomic rights?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: No, I am asking a question. Would Dr. Hartney favour them having the legal right, as they do -----

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: But that is the purpose of this committee. That is why I am asking Dr. Hartney the question.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I am pinning Dr. Hartney down.

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I want a “Yes” or a “No”. Does Dr. Hartney favour legal rights for services, supports and interventions or does she not?

Committee on Disability Matters: Progressing the Delivery of Disability Policy and Services: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jun 2025)

Tom Clonan: I have to say I find that an alarming response, given the NDA's role to advise the Government on best practice.