Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I thank the Minister for Health for the initiatives contained in the Bill. The Bill is a positive development, which is about looking after those who are most in need and ensuring ease of access, as the Minister said in the Dáil, for people who require health care. This means that people with disabilities will be empowered to ensure they are respected by our health system and those on the domiciliary care allowance will automatically qualify for a medical card.

When I was chairman of the Joint Committee on Health and Children, Senator Colm Burke and others were members, and we met representatives of Down Syndrome Ireland and other groups. They expressed constant worry about being able to access health care. The legislation removes the worry and stress associated with reams of papers needed to apply for services. The Minister of State will have a legacy in this regard, which will not be forgotten, nor will his approach to this. I appreciate the work he has done so far in office. I have always found him to be about the person with special needs and ensuring there is a commitment to care for them. The increase in money available to the Government means we must ensure there is increased and targeted investment in our health system. Senator Colm Burke highlighted the issue of waste and mismanagement and so on, but the money expended on our health system must be targeted at the people who require access and treatment.

As Leader, I was happy to facilitate the Minister and the Minister of State in respect of the introduction of the Bill and I thank Members of Opposition parties and the Independent groups for their co-operation in this regard. The Bill will be passed by the end of the month, which is important. This is a good day for families of children and young adults with disabilities. We must ensure that our disability policy is overarching because it is easy to forget people in our health system. A significant burden has been experienced by some people who have tried to access funding for aids and appliances, or gain access to therapies or to even to be assessed not only during the recession but during times of plenty when the world was awash with money and the then Governments could spend whatever it wanted. Waiting times were long and worries were experienced even during those times. In crossing the threshold from recession to recovery, the burden in respect of respite care and day care must be lifted. Earlier, Senator Coghlan raised the issue of the mental health facility on Mill Road, Killarney, and pointed out that there are still gaps that need to be bridged, not only in funding but also in staffing. This is the same in Cork.

I welcome the reduction in the prescription charge per item and the monthly cap for the over-70s. All of us who are engaged in constituency politics and who meet members of our community every week know they live in fear of not having the money to buy tablets and so on. As we move towards universality in our health care system and free GP care, I hope the threshold for the over-70s will be eliminated because that is a source of concern.

Today is a stepping stone but we should recognise we have a journey to travel in regard to our disability sector. I am more confident than I have ever been, with the Minister of State at the helm, that we have someone who understands and who will work with all of us to deliver change. Like him, I am committed to this sector. There needs to be a change in the way services are delivered by the HSE. The Government provides the money but the HSE administers the funding and I hope that will change.

I am delighted to have had the opportunity to contribute. Many of us worked to ensure the Bill would come to pass during the previous Dáil and I thank the members of the previous Oireachtas health committee for their work. I commend the Minister of State and the Minister on the work they have done. Today is a good day for the families of children and young adults who require this legislation.