Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank colleagues present, starting with the Cathaoirleach, who attended the awarding of the inaugural Human Life, Human Rights, Human Dignity award by the Ceann Comhairle this morning. Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow and Mary's Meals were worthy recipients of that award and Members nominated them because of the fantastic work they are doing in 13 countries in the developing world. They provide more than 920,000 daily meals in a school setting to severely impoverished children. Feeding a child in a school setting will both encourage the parents to send the child to school and will help the child to do better at school. Hopefully, this then will give him or her a gateway out of extreme poverty. Members rightly talk about the challenges our own country faces at this time and rightly celebrate the great people who are doing so much with the homeless and in other areas at this time. Moreover, they rightly deplore the wrongs inflicted on vulnerable members of society, as has been seen in recent days. However, one must never forget that so many problems are global and the need to show human solidarity is a global need. That is why the Human Dignity Group honoured Mary's Meals today and I thank colleagues for their great support for this inaugural award and hopefully, it was the first of many such awards that will be given from the Human Dignity Group in this House.

I spoke briefly in the debate last night about the terrible revelations in Áras Attracta, Swinford. One irony I noted was that Swinford is one place in which families who have children affected by autism are discovering the potential of the rapid prompting method, RPM. This method has enabled children with autism to communicate their feelings for the first time, which is a really liberating experience. Most of what one saw happen in Áras Attracta would not have happened had people been in a position to communicate effectively with their families. Sadly, that is not always possible but in the case of children and adults who can now express their thoughts through RPM to perhaps communicate the terror they once endured because they were treated as having lower cognition when they had not, the State needs to support and encourage this and to provide resources in this regard. I know Seosamh Ó Láimhín, a young man who is affected by autism who is not in Áras Attracta. However, when asked recently how he felt before he could express himself through RPM, he spelled the word "terrified" on the computer. When asked how he feels now that he can express itself, he uses the word "liberated". It is similarly hard to imagine what residents in Áras Attracta must have felt and as a society, we must work hard to restore ethical non-oppressive care in the treatment of persons with severe intellectual disability and in care homes. I wished to note again in this forum, as I did last night, the irony that the investigation has taken place in the same town in which families are pioneering a new and positive approach. I hope the Department of Education and Skills and the Health Service Executive will take on board the potential of RPM.

Finally, I support Senator Conway's comments on direct provision. It appears to me as though people undoubtedly are profiteering on a large scale. I have no problem with people making profits but it must not be at the expense of there being a high equivalent standard across the country for any person or family who is in the direct provision system. As long as the State is paying, whether directly providing the facilities or paying others to do so, one cannot be without a minimum set of required standards that would include things like families and people having access to their own door key in order that they have their own quarters and are not forced or confined to be living with people for indefinite periods or to be in the same room with people they do not even know. This of course is all the more important where people have suffered abuse or some kind of other trauma in the past. Similarly, parents must be able to cook a meal for their children. There needs to be space for recreation-----