Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No.1:

To delete all the words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following:

recognises this Government's policy of mainstreaming service provision for people with disabilities within State agencies that provide services to citizens generally;

acknowledges this Government's commitment to people with a disability through the national disability strategy which comprises the Disability Act 2005, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, the Citizen's Information Act, the six sectoral plans and the multi-annual investment programme of €900 million from 2006 to 2009;

welcomes the additional funding which has been invested in support services for people with disabilities which was provided to enhance the level and range of services available to adults and children with intellectual, physical and sensory disabilities and those with autism and for the recruitment of additional professional support staff;

notes that the Government's commitment has been continued with the allocation in the Budget for 2008 of an additional €50 million for the provision of additional health and personal social services for people with a disability;

welcomes the commencement of the Disability Act 2005 for children under five and improved access to assessments for children with disabilities under the Disability Act;

notes that since 2004, investment in special education has doubled to €900 million this year;

recognises that the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act is being implemented on a phased basis, in line with the five year time frame envisaged in the legislation;

acknowledges that with the introduction of the general allocation model at primary level, most pupils with special needs no longer need psychological assessments in order to access extra teaching support;

notes that the limit on the number of assessments encourages schools to take responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention and to avoid unnecessary referral for assessments. Principals can contact NEPS if they believe that exceptional circumstances warrant additional assessments for their pupils;

recognises the improved co-ordination between the education and health sectors, with the appointment of a Minister of State and the setting up of the Office for Disability and Mental Health with that specific responsibility and the establishment of a cross-sectoral team to co-ordinate the implementation of Part 2 of the Disability Act 2005 and the relevant sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004;

acknowledges the establishment of a complaints and appeals system under the Disability Act 2005 to provide a statutory system of redress;

recognises the number of people employed in the public health service since 1997 has increased by over 64%, from just under 68,000 to 111,505 whole time equivalent staff in December 2007; and

notes in particular, by the end of 2007, there were

3,029 more medical and dental staff, a 61% increase;

9,767 more health and social care professionals, a 164% increase; and

11,660 additional nurses, a 43% increase;

acknowledges that the HSE has been given approval for an additional 1,050 new posts arising from development funding provided by the Government in the budget day package for 2008;

notes that the temporary recruitment pause put in place by the HSE towards the end of 2007 ended on 31 December 2007;

reaffirms the statutory requirement that the Health Service Executive should manage its budget within the Vote approved by Dáil Éireann;

welcomes the early signature by the State of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability;

welcomes the Government commitment that the convention be ratified by the State as quickly as possible taking into account the need to ensure that all necessary requirements under the convention are being met;

notes that a high-level cross-departmental group is advising on the changes to the Government's national disability strategy that are required to ratify the convention and that the group has developed a work programme to address matters that need to be aligned with the UN convention in order that the ratification may take place;

welcomes as an important part of the work programme, the commitment in the Government's legislative programme to bring forward a Mental Capacity Bill; and

supports the Government's commitment to develop quality standards in the provision of health and personal social services for people with disabilities, including residential and day services, through the Health Information and Quality Authority.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House this evening. I wish to comment briefly on the points made by Senator Fitzgerald. I wish to make it clear that under no circumstances are we, on this side of the House, suggesting we do not have difficulties. We clearly have difficulties but we are making progress and believe that the multi-faceted framework that has been put in place by the Government will provide the mechanism required to address the continuing difficulties and allow us to move on and meet people's needs. It is important to acknowledge that there will always be challenges. Indeed, there should always be challenges because we should always be questioning and trying to get better. We should always believe there is a way to get better and to improve our services.

It is disingenuous to come into the House and not acknowledge the extent of the developments and progress that have taken place over the last number of years although I acknowledge that Senator Fitzgerald made reference to the increased funding that is now available. With regard to the comments of Senator Donohoe, while I thank him for his compliment, I wish to clarify that the point I raised this morning was specifically related to the €25 million that was allocated directly for mental health services for the implementation of recommendations of A Vision for Change, not for children with special educational needs.

The amendment is quite extensive and it would not be possible for me to deal with every aspect of it in the limited time available. In that context, I will address a number of key points. I particularly welcome the incorporation of the national disability strategy into the new social partnership agreement, Towards 2016.

The national disability strategy, launched in 2004, stresses equal participation in society of people with disabilities and provides for a framework of new supports for these individuals. The strategy supports and reinforces equal participation in society of people with disabilities and comprises five elements, namely, the Disability Act 2005, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, sectoral plans published in 2006 by six Departments, the Citizen's Information Act and a commitment to a multi-annual investment programme for disability support services of €900 million for the period 2006 to 2009.

The central components of the strategy are the Disability Act and the Education for Persons with Special Needs Act. Since the launch of the strategy in 2004 until the end of 2007, €420 million in revenue and capital funding has been allocated. The programme provides a commitment to funding certain disability-specific services during the period 2006 to 2009. It is expected that by the end of 2009 there will be 1,235 new residential places, 398 new respite places and 467 new day-care places. This is a solemn reflection of the Government's commitment to the improvement of disability services.

I wish to briefly reflect on the underpinning theme of equal participation in society of people with disabilities. Sometimes as a society, although well-meaning, we can dwell disproportionately on what the person cannot do without an appropriate focus on what the person can do.

It is essential that we aspire and aim for equal participation and full expression of citizenship for people with disabilities. We must be ambitious regarding people with disabilities and we must insist on as high a quality of life as possible. The national disability strategy provides us with concrete opportunities to achieve this. From early childhood, supports are available to assist children in their development. I welcome the implementation of the Disability Act 2005 for children aged under five. This prioritisation reflects the importance of early intervention, which can have a significant impact on the disabling effects of a condition or impairment.

Part 2 will be commenced in respect of children aged between five and 18 in tandem with the implementation of the EPSEN Act. The Department of Education and Science has informed us it is envisaged that all sections of the EPSEN Act will be implemented over a five-year timeframe, which commenced on 1 October 2005. I welcome that the statutory requirements of Part 2 of the Disability Act will be extended to adults as soon as possible. A commitment has been given that this will happen no later than 2011 but I urge the Minister to strive for an earlier implementation date. Such developments bring their own challenges such as the sourcing of therapists. While additional training places have been provided in recent years for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, the Government faces an ongoing challenge of attracting people to work in the field. Will the Minister of State examine this issue? If children cannot access such services, all the plans in place will be impeded before they get off the ground.

The Government introduced, and is progressing, an extensive reform programme of health services. Part of this programme includes the development of national standards for services for people with disabilities along with the development of a draft code of practice for sheltered work services. Draft standards for disability service were produced by the Department of Health and Children in association with the National Disability Authority, NDA. Following the statutory establishment of HIQA, a standards advisory group is in place. I welcome the recent issuing of draft standards for residential services for people with disabilities and I particularly welcome the planned commencement of the inspectorate. This will finally address the long-standing anomaly whereby all residential facilities for children are inspected with the exception of those facilities for children with intellectual disabilities. Incredibly, residential facilities for children with disabilities were exempted from inspection.

It is important that the introduction of standards does not become a paper-based exercise but rather that they result in meaningful improvements in quality of life for people with disabilities. This may mean all of us will face a challenge to our own mindset. Will the Minister of State encourage the development of residential options for adults with intellectual disabilities in the context of living options and ensure we follow international best practice in pursuing a framework of supported living for such adults, which would provide opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to live as independently as possible in a safe and healthy way in their own homes? I had the enormous satisfaction of being involved in the roll-out of a pioneering supported living project. This has resulted in adults having their names on their own rent books, holding their own keys, accessing supports appropriate to their needs and determining when and if to have a cup of tea, a shower or go to bed. These are basic rights we take for granted every day. Will the Minister of State consider how many of our community group homes, albeit unintentionally, have become mini-institutions? Power shifts significantly when the residents hold the keys to the home and not the staff.

Progress has been made but many more steps must be taken before we experience the highest quality of care. The Government is fully committed to providing a high quality service to all persons with a disability and this is reflected in the establishment of the office for disability and mental health, which brings together responsibility for a range of policy areas and which will improve co-ordination. I wish the Minister of State well with this essential work. I particularly welcome the inclusion of a mental capacity Bill in this year's legislative programme. It will enable Ireland to meet its obligations under the UN convention and it will ensure our citizens with intellectual disabilities, in particular, will have the opportunity to exercise their rights as citizens.

I welcome the increase to 209 in the number of psychologists in the NEPS. I ask the Minister of State to enhance the remit of the service and to expand its role. Will he consider commencing a campaign on the MMR vaccination? The impending measles epidemic could be significant because it may result in people unnecessarily acquiring an intellectual disability. A review should be conducted regarding the needs of those with mild intellectual disabilities, who are quite vulnerable. Rather than being person-centred, perhaps it should be person-led.