John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

I apologise to the Minister of State and to the House for my absence from the debate on Committee Stage this morning. I attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on European Affairs and the Joint Committee on the Environment and Local Government. It is disappointing that we should have to specify any figure, regardless of whether this is 3% or 2%. It is unfortunate that we must do this to concentrate the minds of some people on their obligations. The situation anticipated in the amendment is covered in the Bill under section 47(3)(d)(i), which states that the Minister may specify "the numbers or percentages of persons with disabilities to be recruited by the public body concerned". There is an implicit flexibility that allows the import of the amendment to be met.

I appeal to the most senior people in all Departments, not just those specified in the Bill. I apologise if this appeal was already made this morning. These people have a responsibility to employ people with disabilities and a responsibility to ensure that Departments are accessible to people with disabilities. The entire Government must recognise the rights of people with disabilities.

In an article in The Irish Times this morning the chief executive of the Disability Federation of Ireland, Mr. John Dolan, states that "A disabled person has no more or no less rights than any other person". This is a point I made on Second Stage but we must acknowledge that these rights exist. The political mindset has changed considerably over the period of my time in this House and there is a general acknowledgement among all parties and politicians of the need to have disabled people incorporated into our societies. I am not sure that mindset has changed within Departments. Anything we can do to ensure everyone in the Civil Service is aware of what is required is beneficial.

The local authorities have been more successful than Departments in this respect. In my area, County Kildare, significant progress has been made in respect of people with sensory, physical and intellectual disabilities. Senator Quinn suggested focusing on the ability of people rather than on their disability. As a member of Kildare county council I came into contact with these people and realised how much ability they had. Only when this ability was released, recognised and allowed to find expression was progress made. The Minister needs to inculcate in the public service the absolute need to be conscious of these matters.

At a recent meeting in Luxembourg I entered a large assembly hall and saw wheelchairs lined up inside the door. If someone got out of a car and needed a wheelchair it was available. How many places in Ireland have the same facility? It should be routine. The question of money is not important, rather it is attitudes that need to change.