David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Mooney, who referred to the business of the House today. I am sure the Leader agrees that many calls have been made by Senators on all sides of the House for very important debates on a range of issues, including the jobs crisis, youth unemployment, poverty and, in more recent days, the mobility grant that was abolished. We have called for the appropriate Minister to come here to discuss a replacement scheme. It is important that this House gets the co-operation of Ministers, who should participate in debates. I am concerned that over the past number of weeks, the agenda of the House has been quite light, despite the fact that many calls have been made by Senators on all sides for Ministers to come to the Seanad to discuss important issues.

If the Minister of State with responsibility for the mobility grant is considering a new scheme, she should come to the House to discuss the matter with Members, who have been lobbied very strongly by people directly affected by the grant's abolition or those who would have been waiting for their applications to be processed. We should have an opportunity to feed into the process and I hope the appropriate Minister will come to the House. It is an important issue and I hope that whatever scheme replaces the mobility grant will be fair, broad and equitable. It must ensure that people with disabilities and mobility problems who need support in transport should get it. If there is a cost to the State, meaning we must raise taxes on higher earners, it should be done. That is what society is about and what our Government should do. It must vindicate the rights of citizens, especially people with disabilities. There have been calls over a number of days for the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to come to the House in the next number of weeks in order to discuss the important issue of supports for people with disabilities and mobility problems.