Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

It is an absolute privilege for Members to have in the House the president of the Irish Human Rights Commission, Dr. Manning, who has provided them with a sense of both their history and their future. In so doing he has reawakened in me a sense of the value of this House, for which I thank him. He spoke about his openness to be accountable on the issue of human rights to both the Department and the Houses of the Oireachtas. Another thing that struck me greatly was his observation that if any single factor had led us to our current position, it was the failure of scrutiny.

We must scrutinise our rights. The Education Act states children have a right to an appropriate education and a right to have their needs met but with the caveat, "in so far as resources allow". I commend Dr. Manning's work with the John Paul Centre in Galway but ask him whether, for rights as basic as those of children with special educational needs or people with disabilities, rights should be capped by the caveat, "in so far as resources allow"? Is it right that rights are recognised only in so far as the mindset of a Government endorses them or in so far as budgets allow? I note the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act has been in place since 2004 but it has still not been fully implemented, despite the Celtic tiger years. Can Dr. Manning call a Government to account because these rights were not enforced when the money was available? Should we approach the IMF and the European Union to follow through for those who are marginalised?