Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for giving of his time and staying with the House throughout the debate on this important Bill. I also want to thank members of his staff who were in the House throughout the full debate.

This has been a long-awaited Bill and much debate has taken place around it. I accept this Disability Bill is better than the earlier one. Several improvements have been made to help bring it about. It must also be recognised that it has several failings which have led to several groups leaving the Disability Legislation Consultation Group. Several disability organisations are also dissatisfied with the Bill, despite all the consultation that took place. It is unfortunate that many people are still unhappy. I concur with their disappointment in that they feel this Bill does not go far enough. While I accept it is a large improvement on the previous Bill, there are still many gaps and flaws in this Bill.

The largest flaw is around the issue of funding. I accept multiannual funding is in place. However, should the economy deteriorate, people with disabilities will not get the services they require. Indeed, over the coming years many people will not get the services envisaged for them in the Bill. This is because the administrative framework will not be in place, nor the specialists, such as speech therapists, that are needed to deliver the services. I urge the Minister of State to ensure that the services are delivered as quickly as possible and that funding is provided to ensure that happens.

My other concern is with unmet needs and the prioritising of services in that area, which has to be addressed as quickly as possible. This legislation will only be as good as the services it provides to meet the needs of people. Funding is essential for this purpose. The core objective of the Bill is to mainstream people with disabilities, to assist a person with a disability to live as normal a life as possible. In the future we will strive for full equality in so far as that is possible, though we all have limitations, including each of us here. While this legislation will not achieve it, we want in the future to deliver freedom for people with disabilities and to provide them with the right to the services they need.

I ask the Minister of State to do all in his power to implement the administrative framework within the set timeframe so that the services and products are delivered as quickly as possible. I would like to see the accessibility issue fast-tracked to ensure people can get around more easily and without restrictions.

While I welcome this legislation I hope we will in the future be able to make improvements to it because they are necessary. I hope we monitor its progress and I look forward to doing so over the coming years. There is also an onus on all of us who have been involved in the passage of the Bill to make sure we monitor the legislation closely to ensure that compliance will be enforced. I look forward to the implementation of the Bill when it is finally passed.