Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on this Private Members' motion. It is very important and recognises the need to protect services for those who are most vulnerable in society, namely, those with disabilities who are more dependent on the State to provide services than any other group in society. With regard to people with disabilities attaining educational advancement and the employment rates of people with disabilities, the most recent census showed the level of advancement for persons with disabilities was lower than for persons without disabilities. This highlights the fact a disability can provide an immense difficulty for any individual, and as a result it is important compensation is provided, whether financial or through other resource supports, by the State.

I listened, in my office and in the Chamber, to what the Minister of State has said. I do not doubt her enthusiasm for supporting the disability sector and individuals with disabilities, but unfortunately what is happening at present calls into question the support being provided to persons with disabilities, whether this is at primary, secondary or university educational level, through employment initiatives or through disability or social welfare payments.

I heard the Minister of State refer to social welfare payments, and I cannot agree with her that the processing of social welfare payments has been speeded up. I am not sure what timeframe she means. I presume she may be speaking about decisions on new applications. Decisions may be made more quickly, but the vast majority of applications for carer's allowance, disability allowance, disability benefit, invalidity pension or any other payment are being refused. The decisions may be made sooner, but the majority of all decisions are being refused.

I know of people diagnosed with very severe forms of cancer whose applications for disability payments were refused by the Department of Social Protection. Individual members of their families or persons providing supports have applied for carer's allowance to support them but they have also been refused. For God's sake let us introduce a system whereby any individual diagnosed with cancer is given all of the support available from the State during the illness. There should be no qualification to this. The best medical supports are available to those diagnosed with cancer but they do not always survive. When they and their families are dealing with this illness they should be provided with the required support. It is not acceptable for a civilised country to refuse payments to individuals diagnosed with cancer. This is not a political point. I see it every week dealing with people in clinics.

Recently I pleaded with the Minister for Social Protection during an Adjournment debate with regard to a case. It was also dealt with through parliamentary questions and representations to the Minister with regard to getting the application processed. The application was processed and a carer's payment was approved, but unfortunately it was approved a week after the individual died. This is not acceptable. We must have a new system in the Department of Social Protection to deal with genuine applications. There has been abuse of the system, and I know some of the checks and balances in place are to deter abuse of the system and we all subscribe to this, but we must have a system which will support the genuine cases.

I plead with the Minister of State to sit down with the Minister for Social Protection to look at this issue which needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible because we cannot allow the current situation to continue.

With regard to the disability cuts, there is the generic issue of the processing of claims. While the social welfare budget is vast at some €21 billion, cutting disability payments within the overall budget is wrong. These payments should be ring-fenced. There were cuts to the respite care grant and other disability payments in budget 2013 which I believe were wrong. Every effort should be made to ensure no cuts are introduced that would affect anyone with a disability, physical, intellectual or otherwise.

The Minister has said no cuts are taking place, in so far as it is possible to do so. However, I point to the case of specialist preschools for individuals who cannot feed themselves. There were three such preschools in County Donegal, but one has closed, the one in Donegal town is not accepting new applications from this year and the other in Letterkenny will be closed from September 2014. That is happening from within the Department of Health's budget. These schools are being closed in line with the HSE service plan which is signed off on by the Minister and agreed at a national level, the regional plans which are agreed by the regional directors and the county plans which are agreed on a county-wide basis. Because the funding is cut, services are being withdrawn.

I will support the Minister in every way, but we need to make sure funding for people with disabilities is ring-fenced and not cut in the forthcoming budget. Unfortunately, the cuts that have taken place to date have been far too painful.