Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

It is essential that the assessment officer is independent. In the case of the liaison officer, it is equally essential that he or she is part of the executive involved in managing the needs of people with disabilities, within the practical constraints applying to them from time to time. This is in keeping with the role of the liaison officer, which is to prepare a service statement that is deliverable. The liaison officer must have a knowledge or understanding of service issues and the demands on them, as well as the related resource implications and the capacity of the executive to respond to individual needs. In light of the role envisaged for this officer in the Bill, it would be inappropriate to assign to him or her the statutory independence proposed in the amendment.

The Senator will understand it is essential that the liaison officer is part and parcel of the service delivery provision. Therefore, independence, as such, is not a very important requirement. From the point of view of a person-centred service, it is more important that the liaison officer is capable of getting the system to produce the best possible result in the service statement within the resource constraints.