Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

There is an old adage in show business that the act subsequent to a stunning performance usually starts with the words, "Follow that". I feel like such a performer taking to the stage after the Minister of State's speech. As a parent of a child with special needs who has listened to the debate and the Minister of State's impassioned, committed and sincere approach to this issue, I would not contemplate having a vote. I have always taken the view that politics should not enter issues of disability. This is also the message the Minister of State has conveyed. There will always be arguments about whether resources are adequate and various other issues which arise in the context of the motion. The Minister of State is correct that the speech written by her officials, which I have read, is comprehensive and focused and reflects the views she expressed.

I compliment the Minister of State on a report which was carried in the national media on a response from Rehab to an initiative she took, with her Government colleagues, to restore the allowance to people with disabilities who are working. I presume the measure will all also apply to those engaged in the national learning centres. Senator Moran and I are both parents of children with a unique genetic disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, which is primarily though not exclusively an eating disorder. To put the matter bluntly, if sufferers of the syndrome, for which there is no cure, are not supervised, they will effectively eat themselves to death. This brings its own particular challenges.

My daughter, Siobhan, attends a national learning centre in Manorhamilton which has been a lifeline for her and many others. In the context of the Minister of State's remarks on the Department of Social Protection monitoring and following up on those who are retraining, the national learning centres have an exemplary record in this regard. Almost all of those who go through the system find meaningful employment, which is an extraordinary compliment to the whole concept. Obviously, the Minister of State has a particular interest in ensuring the restoration of the €10 or €12 that was being docked. I compliment her on achieving this objective as it is one of the little issues which pop up from under the radar from time to time. While the reduction received front page headlines, the restoration did not receive equal coverage.

The Minister of State is correct on how the Health Service Executive deals with people with disabilities. I am sure Senator Moran will not mind me pointing out that a comparison of the treatment she has received to date for her teenage son in the north east with the treatment we, as parents, received in the north west would lead one to believe that she and I lived in two different countries. When the Senator heard about the services and support networks to which my daughter had access and the proactive approach of the HSE in my area, she could not quite believe we were living in the same country. While I do not wish to speak for the Senator, her experience was the opposite of ours. My family has been fortunate in respect of the services provided by the State since the time Siobhan was first diagnosed. Incidentally, she was diagnosed with the condition within three weeks of birth in Holles Street hospital following a genetic test, whereas it was several years before Senator Moran's child was diagnosed. Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare condition which creates a mild handicap.

The Minister of State is correct to state that one must address the number of experts involved in assessments. In our case, it was a simple genetic test done by the people in Holles Street whereas Senator Moran did not have that. There were many other things which were comparative.

The Minister of State said that HSE managers will have the scope within the national figure of 3.7% to vary the level of reduction which will apply to individual service providers and that the aim of the HSE will be to tailor such reductions in a way which minimises the impact on service users and their families as much as possible. I am sure she is more aware than I am that families are very concerned because of the current economic situation we are in.

In the HSE north west, formerly the North Western Health Board, the main driver was a now retired senior civil servant called Pat Dolan, who headed up the disability services there. He only retired in the past year or 18 months. I was concerned when he was retiring because I knew how committed and passionate he was about what he was doing. I was concerned that he would be replaced by somebody who would be less effective and less committed and who would treat the job as such whereas he went the extra mile. I am sure the Minister of State has discovered that all those working in the State sector and involved with disabilities go the extra mile because they are all very committed people and perhaps I am being a bit unfair to his successor. I did not mean to be.

I hope the Minister of State will continue to monitor this to ensure there is the minimum reduction. Every euro taken from the disability sector has a far greater ripple effect than perhaps it would in any other area. I have no doubt the Minister of State will do so in light of the fact she looked after the minutiae of the allowance which was removed in the budget.

I am not being political but the Minister of State referred to her predecessor, John Moloney, in regard to the national disability strategy which she inherited and has committed herself to implementing not only today but on previous occasions in this House. Like the Minister of State, I pay warm tribute to John Moloney. I am very happy the Minister of State has been given this job. Her predecessor was totally committed to it from the day he took it on and she is equally committed. I have every confidence, even with all the problems in the economic field, given that we have a doughty a fighter as the Minister of State. I have known her for a long time and we have worked together in a variety of different guises. I am so pleased she has taken on this brief in the manner she has. Given her background in opposition, she was well prepared coming in to it.

Notwithstanding that, in some instances, Ministers of State in administrations prior to this one sometimes settled into a comfort zone and were happy to turn up and listen to what the officials said. She is the complete opposite of that and I thank God on behalf of the parents of those with special needs that she is in this position. I wish her Godspeed.