Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. Any criticisms I make relate to issues which I am very concerned to see resolved, and that can only happen through genuine dialogue and commitment to achieving full equality for citizens living with a disability. There are 643,000 such people in this country as well as 200,000 unpaid carers.

Two weeks ago, when the Minister of State was present for statements on disability services, we asked that he intervene to allow for time to work out a solution to prevent the closure of the Cuisle centre in County Roscommon. I realise there are issues involving the Irish Wheelchair Association, IWA, but the Minister of State was asked in this House, the other House and by protestors outside Leinster House to intercede. Even a six-month or 12-month delay would allow time to work out the difficulties and that would mean a great a deal to those affected. I welcome his increased budget for next year but it is a pity he cannot borrow from it to secure the continued operation of the Cuisle facility. The protestors stressed how unique their situation is, which is based on the particular offering Cuisle provides to its users. They told the Minister of State how no hotel could possibly provide the facilities and, most important, the privacy and independence available to families at Cuisle. There was a major show of support for the centre in County Roscommon, which should have left no one in any doubt how vital this service is. I ask the Minister of State to ensure this matter remains on the agenda and is not forgotten.

I wish to highlight the progress that has been made by the Oireachtas disability group, which brings together politicians of all parties and five major disability advocacy groups. Its job is to provide a vital link between the needs of persons with a disability and the services that are delivered. I commend the work of Senator John Dolan and my colleague, Deputy John Brady, in this regard.

In March last year, 20 years after Ireland signed the UNCRPD, the Government finally ratified the convention. This was an important and welcome decision, albeit many years late. Sinn Féin stressed at the time that ratification was only a first step and that the real measure of delivery in respect of the rights contained in the convention would be in its implementation. Sadly, the Government did not ratify the optional protocol to the convention, as it had promised. We have consistently pressured the Government since March last year to do so and to progress delivery of the hope and promise of the convention as speedily as possible. However, the process has been slow. For example, almost two years after legal effect was given to the official recognition of Irish Sign Language, we still have not seen the required resourcing for its full and anticipated promotion and development.

We need to see rights made real For this to happen, provision and resourcing must go hand in hand with the announcements that are made to great fanfare by the Government. Sinn Féin is acutely aware of this requirement, as reflected in the provision in our alternative budget for 2020 for 1.5 million personal assistant hours. The Minister of State and his Government have the power to make rights real for people with disabilities. I urge him to step up to the plate and champion the cause. He has little time left to make his mark.

Implementation of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 is at a standstill. Funding is needed for its full implementation, and the measures it contains require speedy advancement. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I urge the Government to make this work a priority in early 2020 and to make good on the promises it has so far failed to keep. One of the bodies involved in the Oireachtas disability group is Independent Living Movement Ireland. The ability to control and organise one's life independently is essential to restoring dignity to those living with a disability. Yesterday, a report by Inclusion Ireland stated that more than 2,000 people with intellectual disabilities are still living in institutional settings, despite Government policy that all such facilities were to close by the end of 2018. The housing adaptation grants administered by local authorities are gone as soon as they are announced because the waiting list is so long. I have spoken here previously about the 18 year old man I met in St. James's Hospital three years ago. He went in not feeling great and was given an awful diagnosis of a degenerative disease, which saw him swiftly progress to a lack of mobility and having to use a wheelchair. His only option, because the grants were not available either for people in private homes or in social housing, was to go into a nursing home. He has been there for two years, surrounded by much older patients, and his situation is dire. Other young people are ending up in the same situation, where a nursing home is the only facility available. The local authority adaptation grants scheme must be given additional funding. We need to view this from a rights perspective in that these are citizens whose rights are being denied.

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I extend my best wishes to those living with disability in Ireland and their family members. There are 643,000 people with disabilities in the State and 200,000 unpaid carers. I also extend good wishes to the wider advocacy sector, which works hard on behalf of all who depend on it.