Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 46:

In page 31, subsection (1), between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following new paragraphs:

"(d) the introduction of National Standards for Disability Services and the statutory inspection of such services,

(e) the consideration of the primary care needs of people with disabilities when developing the new model of primary care,".

This amendment deals with the sectoral plans of the Minister for Health and Children. I ask the Minister of State to accept it to further strengthen this section. The sectoral plans are very vague and general at present. The amendment strengthens the section and obliges the Department to bring forward national standards for disability services, which would benefit users of such services. It also ensures that these services are inspected on a regular basis.

We must make special mention of services for people with disabilities in the context of primary care. I would hope that in ten years' time we will not need to make special reference to people with disabilities; they will be part of the agenda automatically and included in the daily thinking of Ministers, Governments and departmental officials. However, special reference is required for the moment, given our history of neglect of people with disabilities, for which we must all accept responsibility.

I cannot assert that when this legislation is passed in the autumn that everything will change and that our minds and attitudes will alter overnight. That will not happen and until such time as disability is embedded in our thinking, we need to make statements such as those provided for in the amendment. I hope that in five or ten years, we will be able to remove many of these special references because it will be accepted that people with disabilities are entitled to the same service as every other member of a community. We will all be one and each person will be entitled to the service that he or she requires. In the meantime, however, we must ensure that nobody slips through the net and my amendment aims to do that. I ask the Minister of State to accept it.