Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to contribute to this important debate and I thank the proposers of the motion for tabling it. The more often disabilities are spoken about in this House the better. I contributed two items, one of which was on employment rights for people with disabilities. Only last year did public bodies reach the target for employing people with disabilities. It is a small target at 3%, which amounts to 6,171 people. I would like to see a more proactive approach. That EU target was set in 1977. The economy is not great now but hopefully we could re-examine that target. We should not just try to meet a target. We could put measures and supports in place that would make it easier for people.

I would like to see a scheme for public representatives here in the House. Senator Mary Ann O'Brien mentioned this and we can do it. A strategy should be laid down to ensure we are afforded the opportunity. It is not easy to match needs with the facilities available. In the area of internships, we have deals with various colleges. There should be a deal with the disabilities associations. Often people with a disability have difficulty getting experience. It is like the chicken and the egg - which comes first, experience or a job? I ask the Minister consider something like that to ensure the Members of this House do our bit in ensuring we reach the target.

When I was on South Dublin County Council, no local authority had reached the 3% target. Now 88% of local authorities have reached it. Targets work. Our manager at the time, Mr. Joe Horgan, made us take a week to ensure there were strategies for employing people with disabilities, Travellers and people with different types of expertise. They all bring their own expertise and we can learn from everybody in our own employment. Everybody has their own ability to bring to us.

The first Adjournment debate matter I tabled in this House was on Irish Sign Language, because I have been campaigning for it for years. I established the Model School for the Deaf in Irish Sign Language in north Dublin with Mr. Brian Crean and Dr. John Bosco Conama. It was a pilot project that went on for three years, after which funding was pulled. I would like this Government to do what it can on Irish Sign Language. Senator Conway has a motion coming up but I would like to see more than motions. It was sad yesterday that people supporting the Irish Deaf Society had to parade outside the Dáil gates to bring it to our attention once more. When Fianna Fáil was in power I came here on many delegations to try to get something done. I met Minister after Minister and nothing was done. I would like to see this Government doing even one small thing. There are not huge numbers of people out there, but it is their culture. It has nothing to do with the Irish language.

It is their culture. They want it and they should be afforded the means. I am involved in the North-South body and I raised the issue in that context because, as Senator Daly noted, it is part of the North-South agreement. I proposed a motion which was passed by all of the Parliaments, including Wales, Northern Ireland and England, and forwarded to the relevant Ministers. We are waiting for a report on the matter before considering whether we can proactively engage on the basis of the North-South agreement on Irish sign language. The issue is more advanced in the North, although it is not yet a statutory right. I believe we could work together to do something in this regard.

I want to ensure there are no cuts to this area in the forthcoming budget but when I asked about it, I received a note from the Government stating that it has passionately defended the provision of special education spending since it came to office. Some €1.3 billion will be spent on supports for children with special educational needs this year. I hope some of that goes to Irish sign language. We are only seeking a small percentage of the overall budget. The Government has said it will continue to provide 1,100 teaching posts in special schools. The National Council for Special Education has also opened 118 new special classes for the 2013-14 school year, which means that 740 special classes are currently in place. This represents an increase of more than 40% in the number of special classes being provided since the 2010-11 school year. It is not all bad news, therefore. The Government is doing what it can in the context of our current situation.

It is important that we contribute to this debate. I have attended three debates already and some of the Senators who contributed in this debate were not in the House for the earlier debates. It is difficult to be in the House all the time. I was late coming to this debate but I followed it on the monitor. The fact that Senators are not in the Chamber does not necessarily mean they are not interested. They are following the debate on their monitors.