Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The proposed amendment seeks to expand the definition of disability by adding the text to include, "a person with a physical or mental impairment which has substantial or long term effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". I appreciate the Senators' intentions are to ensure specific conditions will be covered by the definition, particularly multiple sclerosis. I assure them that people with multiple sclerosis come within the scope of the definition at the point when the illness manifests itself as a disability.

For example, a person with multiple sclerosis may, for many years after diagnosis, be able to work. However, there will come a point when that person is unable to continue working, finds the hours involved strenuous or may require physical aids to continue working. This disability results in a substantial restriction in his or her capacity to carry out a profession, business or occupation.

A person may become wheelchair bound and find there are physical barriers to social participation which did not exist previously. For example, it may not be so easy for such people to visit friends because their homes are not adapted or play some of the games they played with their children before the onset of disability. A person's disability may go into remission and progress months or years later.

The definition, because it looks at actual participation in economic, cultural and social life, responds flexibly to these changes in a person's condition or the progress of a condition. I am satisfied the definition addresses the issues which prompted this amendment. The episodic nature of these types of conditions is covered by the definition. I am delighted to confirm that multiple sclerosis does come under the definition.