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

Clearly, a central goal of the Government's disability service reform is to support people with disabilities to enable them to live independent lives in the community and to make their own choices and decisions. The national platform, as far as I am concerned, is one of the organisations that does this effectively. I have worked with those involved during the past three years since I became a Minister of State. I have them as consultants, I use them as advisers and I give them some interim funding because I respect the work they do. The key thing for me is that I respect the fact that they are disabled people speaking for the disabled and not NGOs or chief executives from big organisations. They are on the ground themselves.

In 2018 I launched the Transforming Lives report on effective participation in decision making. Working group 3 was an inclusive group of people with disabilities, family members and organisations working with people with disabilities and the HSE representatives, thus ensuring that a broad church of opinion was heard during a comprehensive consultative process.

The recommendations arising from the report offer a roadmap - this is the key argument I make with the various Departments - to the effective participation of people with disabilities in making decisions about the design and delivery of the supports they need to live their lives and to live ordinary lives. A representative of the national platform - this is a very important thing - was a member of the strategy group and the advisory group on personalised budgets, for example, thus ensuring that their opinions were taken into account at all times. This led to the publication of the final role. Those involved made a positive contribution.

As I outlined earlier, the Disability Federation of Ireland and Inclusion Ireland receive considerable funding from the HSE to provide advocacy services for people with disabilities. We tried to get some of those involved in assisting in the funding issue but there is something of a blockage - I will be straight with Senator Mullen about that.

It is important to avoid duplication having regard to the availability of resources. This is a point I accept. However, I accept that the national platform has a role to play. As far as I am concerned, those involved have my support and I am continuing to push this within Government. In the meantime, there is no question of it closing. As far as I am concerned, the organisation will get the interim funding from me. However, I am keen to see stable funding. As the Senator rightly pointed out, we need stability in the sector. This organisation has a fantastic three-year plan which I support and which is supportive of me. Senator Mullen can bring this message back to the national platform: I am in there supporting it. It will have interim funding in the coming week or so to keep it going beyond January.