Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see all-party support for this vital motion. Sometimes I become frustrated at having to discuss these issues because they are, effectively, a fundamental human right. I am glad to welcome An tAire Stáit go dtí an Teach. It must be his fourth or fifth time here. He obviously liked the Seanad when he was a Member, so he is welcome back.

This issue is of exceptional importance in that 42,000 of our citizens, primarily, the citizens who built up this country and gave it the character and integrity it has, are at either the early or advanced stages of this condition. The effects of the condition and its different strands have been articulated very well. This motion is a re-affirmation of the Government's commitment to deal with this issue head on.

I am very heartened having listened to Senator Mary White's contribution. I remember in a previous capacity she produced a policy document on older people which highlighted and added to the debate on this issue. That work has not gone unnoticed.

I welcome the fact the national dementia strategy is at an advanced stage. I understand the public consultation process has been completed successfully and the Minister and his people are analysing the submissions with a view to setting up a working group. I hope we will have a national strategy in 2013, which is the commitment. The only way we can deal with this is by having a professional national strategy which is well thought out, well researched and, most important, funded. There are a number of areas for which we need to ring-fence funding and this is one of them because, with our ageing population, we are looking at an increase of 4,000 to 5,000 per year in the number of people suffering from dementia. We need to take cognisance of that and direct action towards it. This Government is 20 months into its time in office and I have no doubt that, by 2017, the end of its time in office, we will be well on the way to at least having the support structures and basic requirements in place for people who find themselves suffering from this condition.

I am keenly aware of the fact that preparation of the mental capacity legislation is at an advanced stage. It will revolutionise the way people with mental health conditions are treated.

The legislation dealing with capacity goes back to the 1860s when Gladstone was the Prime Minister of England and Ireland and Queen Victoria was in power. That signifies how dated it is. There is a great deal happening under the radar in this area within Government, which does not receive the media attention it deserves. In 2013, Ireland will hold the EU Presidency for six months and a national dementia strategy together with mental capacity legislation will be published. All this will feed into the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Would it not be great for our country if we could ratify the convention during our EU Presidency in the first six months of next year? That is an achievable goal and there is no reason we cannot achieve it. It would enshrine our presidency in European history for the right reason, which is for looking after the most vulnerable in our society.

I attended a meeting with the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Sean Sherlock, prior to the debate about a UN declaration for people with print disabilities. Currently, they only have access to 5% of the books the rest of society can access. If Members walked into Easons and 95% of the shelves were empty, they would walk out because of the lack of choice. That is what faces almost 300 million citizens throughout the world. Significant work is ongoing to come up with a treaty to deal with the issue of copyright and intellectual property which is choking access to literature for people with print disabilities. I spoke to the Minister of State earlier and a serious meeting will take place on 19 November. Hopefully, the Irish delegation will have an input to ensure a treaty, which will deal with the intellectual property minefield, is advanced during our Presidency. There is a great deal happening. The Government is committed to the most vulnerable in our society and we are trying to do this professionally and inclusively in the most appalling economic circumstances to ensure that we embrace a wide church and that the most vulnerable are not alone looked after, but can advocate regarding their needs in a respectful fashion. We are trying to ensure all the interest groups, some of whom are represented in the Visitors Gallery are brought along. Amnesty International held a good event yesterday at which the chairman of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality spoke.

I commend my Labour Party colleagues on the motion. While we should not even have to have these discussions, it is important to put them on the record of the Houses of the Oireachtas. I acknowledge the input from Fianna Fáil and Senator Mary White. While this is not a party political issue, it is a political issue and we need to make significant advances in the next 12 to 18 months.