Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Senator Conway has highlighted a very important issue and I thank him for his work in respect of it. The fact is that four out of five people lose their sight and that should not happen. He also raised the issue of waiting lists and I agree with him that we must tackle them. The Senator mentioned the link between the medical profession and NGOs. I agree that we must develop the link.From the children's hospital, I support the idea of having an eye clinic liaison officer in every hospital. That is something that we push. Not only can we push it among ourselves and at Cabinet level, as far as I am concerned, but I will also push that within the national disability inclusion strategy, which I chair and a meeting of which I just left this morning. We need to see that as well.

Senator Lawlor talked about recognising the improvements and investments. At the same time, of course, we have much work to do.

Senator Swanick also highlighted the great work of the NCBI but also the issues and the gaps in the services, and stated that we need to respond. I will be responding to the issues that the Senator raised in the debate. Senator Boyhan talked about the waiting list and the pilot schemes and made a valuable contribution. The Senator talked about the funding for the eye clinics and highlighted the importance, as Senator Conway did, of the issue of children on waiting lists. That is something we must tackle.

Senator Buttimer talked about the need for strategic planning and I absolutely agree. The Senator also questions the funding issue. This is the debate we have every day in my Department. In 2020, we will hit over €2 billion for disability services. People ask me how, with that level of funding, we do not have enough front-line services and why there are gaps in services. That is an important question that we must ask within the reformed system. When I took over as Minister of State, I set three objectives: to invest in the services; to reform the services; and, above all, to change the mindset to put the person with the disability at the centre of services. I am having difficulties. The process is slow. The system is slow to react. Senator Buttimer makes the point of the co-ordinated strategy and let us have an honest debate. That is important.

Senator Devine raised an important example of another issue, a dementia issue, regarding advisers. The Senator offered a positive and constructive solution. I can assure the Senator that I will ratify the protocol as soon as I have an opportunity.

An issue that came up today that the Senator mentioned was Cuisle and the Irish Wheelchair Association. I am not closing any services. The Irish Wheelchair Association is a section 39 organisation. It got €40 million off us in funding for 2019. I met the Irish Wheelchair Association and the HSE yesterday. They say that people want to go to more inclusive hotels for respite breaks. That is their position. My job is to reflect that view. Of course, I take the point regarding the staffing issue. However, there will be debates with the unions and there will be redeployment. There will be issues like that as well going on. The bottom line is - this is where the mindset comes in - that most of those with a disability using that service say that the new project of hotel respite breaks are popular among people with a disability. People are voting with their feet and they themselves want to go on these breaks. The hotels have been selected and are working closely with them. That is part of the debate. I accept that point.

I am pleased to see that the motion put down by Senators today acknowledges that for the first time in the history of the State, we have a Minister of State with responsibility for disability sitting at Cabinet thus ensuring that all Government decisions will have an input from a disability perspective. I am proud to be Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities. Every Tuesday, I raise disabilities issues all the time. It is not only that the onus and pressure is on me, as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, to do my job. My job is to ensure that every Minister around that table, including in this debate the Minister for Health, does something on disability issues. That is why I chair the national disability inclusion group. That gives me an opportunity to have every Department in every few months to ask what it has done on disabilities in the preceding few months. The next time we have a proper national disability inclusion strategy meeting I will raise the issue on behalf of Senator Conway and the Senators.

As Minister of State, I have been inspired by the goals and achievements of the people I have met since my appointment. There are many times when I want to drop that word "disability" because I see many people with ability and that is what the focus should be on. I am more determined than ever to realise the priorities agreed by the Government and continuing to make the changes that are needed.

I thank Senator Conway for bringing forward this motion. I will strongly support it. There are sensible proposals in it. We need to develop it but we need to also ensure when we talk about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that we make it a reality for all people with disabilities or, as I say, all people with a lot of ability who want to make a massive contribution to Irish society. The way we do it is by us all working together to see if we can get value for money in our €2 billion and can every hospital in this country have eye clinic liaison officers. I thank the Senators for their contributions to this debate.