Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I wish to make one general point. The Fianna Fáil Members of the Seanad recently met Mr. John Dolan, the chief executive of the Disability Federation of Ireland. He told us that €38 billion is expended every year on public infrastructure. He stated that disabled people are locked out of all that public funding because so many buildings are not adapted for people with disabilities.

When plans are being drawn up for departmental expenditure, every Secretary General should proof them before the structures are constructed to allow for access by people with disabilities. The number of people over 65 is 460,000 and in 2036 the figure will be 1.2 million. People are living longer and therefore it is inevitable there will be more disabled people. Mr. Dolan said there are people who are disabled and people who will become disabled. Accidents happen and none of us knows when we may become disabled. I implore the Secretaries General of Departments to remember to proof their plans so that every bit of public money expended includes provision for disabled people.

The new Luas is completely suitable for people in wheelchairs and for those who are blind. The leaders and decision-makers must think about those who are disabled. The Disability Federation of Ireland is of the view that disabled people are left out of the expenditure of €38 billion. I know the Government is sincere and the budget allocation last year was very generous. However the services must be delivered. I suggest a co-ordinating body to oversee the delivery of services for those who are disabled.

As Senator Mansergh said, we all know people who are disabled. I am in awe of those people. I am able-bodied and I suffer setbacks but when I meet people with disabilities I am heartened. It is a moral responsibility of the Secretaries General of Departments to ensure that access for disabled people is provided. It must be heartbreaking for a person who cannot access buildings in a wheelchair.

I have a friend whose daughter has spina bifida. When she travels by train to Wexford she must travel in the guard's carriage because her wheelchair cannot be accommodated in the train. The women Members of this House were not discriminated against but there was a time when women in this country were discriminated against. I had to give up my job when I married in 1970 and this was the practice until the implementation of an EU directive which allowed for married women to work. Any form of discrimination, whether on racial or other grounds, is completely immoral.

I am a fan of "The Larry King Show" on CNN. CNN celebrated its 20th anniversary recently and President Clinton was a guest on the show. One of my favourite people in the United States is Billy Graham. I am sure all Members know of him. While he is a good age now he is still a fantastic man. When Larry King asked President Clinton what he thought of Billy Graham I was fascinated to hear what he would say. He said that when Billy Graham came to speak in the churches in Arkansas in the 1950s he would not address a segregated audience, which I thought was wonderful. Even back in the 1950s he knew not to discriminate against the black people in the United States. I know that Billy Graham is a genuine Christian. My point is that any form of discrimination is cruel and I hope that the Bill will allow any disabled person to reach his or her full potential just as much as an able-bodied person.