Máire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Freeman's call in respect of 16-18 year olds in our mental health service with nowhere to go. Any initiative is welcome but we need to solidify things for those young people. I wish to talk about rights and equality for the disabled. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are trying to outdo each other with promises of tax cuts prior to the budget but they need to realise that they will take from the over 600,000 people in this country who have a disability. There is education, travel and all aspects of life but I wish to concentrate on housing adaptation grants. This morning, Sinn Féin launched plans for an extra €30 million - a 50% increase - for grant schemes. Some 1,200 people under the age of 65 are inappropriately placed in nursing homes and last year an 18 year old, who had a tragic accident and was left in a wheelchair, had to go to a nursing home because there was no adaptation. I ask Members to imagine that 18 year old, looking at his future from a nursing home bed. This is a human rights issue. We will hopefully dust down the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. Where is it at this point? Does an 18 year old have consent if he is sent somewhere when there is nowhere else for him to go? Home is where the heart lives and these people need to be there. We need to think about our 50% increase in the budget for adaptation grants as it is prudent, cost-effective and will respect people with disability and give them a full life to look forward to.