Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

In preparing the national disability strategy, the Government sought to introduce practical and effective measures to support participation by people with disabilities. This includes, but is not exclusively concerned with, the provision for rights to assessment provision, complaint appeals and enforcement, as promised in An Agreed Programme for Government.

Amendment No. 1 proposes to insert a new Short Title, which would place major emphasis on the assessment and related services to be provided in Part 2. In doing so, it regulates the remaining provisions of the Bill, which are dealt with in Parts 3 to 7, to the status of miscellaneous provisions. The Bill represents a more comprehensive response to the concerns of people with disabilities than the proposed Title seeks to convey. As a result, I am not disposed towards accepting the amendment.