Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I said that in the context of the mobility allowance, obviously those involved in the Special Olympics or those with an intellectual disability involved in sport would be benefiting from it. Of course I am encouraged by the statement of the Minister of State. I will withdraw any inaccuracies that I put on the record of the House. I thank her for that. I am only going on the briefing that I received. There was so much controversy surrounding this and I am pleased to hear that. There is so much controversy surrounding the whole disability budget, as the Minister of State is aware. People are particularly sensitive in this area, as the Minister of State knows because she is working in that area. Any indication of movement affects people in that category far more than the wider general public. I hope that she would continue to fight the good fight in that respect. The point I was attempting to make is that some of those who are registered as disabled athletes probably benefit from the mobility allowance, because they would be taken to various sporting activities.

I am particularly pleased that there is such a movement as the Special Olympics. I am particularly pleased that those with intellectual disabilities have got an outlet. My own daughter started off in the 2003 Special Olympics cycling. She got involved in the swimming at a very low level in Sligo, but it was part of the process that led to the eventual representational level of swimming. She did not get that far, but the fact that she was involved in it was a tremendous benefit to her and to her family. She was involved and participated and the event was mainstreamed. She was not made to feel any different to anybody else in the mainstream population.