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

With regard to the mobility scheme, I should not say it but there are two Bills. I have mine and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has its one. There is a bit of a debate on the mobility aspect. The Senator is right that we need to get on with it. Behind the scenes, I am pushing the view that the scheme is too narrow. There is no debate about that. We all know there is a bit of a blockage.

Senator Bacik referred to employment, which is important, and to insurance costs. I have mentioned insurance. The social care plan negotiations are still taking place. That is something we have to deal with.

I have also mentioned the national platform. We have given the National Platform of Self Advocates a few bob as part of an interim agreement but, as I stated, we need to secure stable funding for it. I have been working with the organisation for the past two years. It is a fantastic organisation. I have given it some interim funding to keep the show on the road. What I really love about the organisation is that people with disabilities are running it and speaking up for themselves. Guess what, that is in line with the UN convention. That is something. The Department of Justice and Equality is examining all these issues.

I commend Senator McFadden on her comment. She also mentioned the autism plan and the figure of €2 million. It is not enough because we will always be looking for more. It is a start, however. The Senator's point about low-hanging fruit is highly relevant if people feel as described but I try to fight the funding battle regularly. The funding we are planning for 2020, of more than €2 billion for services, will represent an increase of 7% if we get it over the line. There is no other Department that got a budget like that this year in the context of the no-deal Brexit budget. I have to make sure what the Senator described is not the case.

The Senator also referred to CHO area 8 and the need to be open-minded and flexible about budgets. These are sensible proposals. I will deal with those when dealing with the social care plan. When the Senator talks about residential settings, she is talking about the 132 individuals we took out of such settings year. They are gone to small four-bedroom units with support staff in them. They all have their own room and television, and they have their meals when they want. These are the kinds of residential places we are talking about now. The young man mentioned is included.

We are having the debate on personal assistant hours this year. I accept that many people who are pushing the physical disability issue saw a lot of the money going towards the intellectual disability sector. Some of them were accusing me of bias in regard to that issue. I push for funding for emergency residential places. Some of the packages can cost between €100,000 and €200,000 per person per year. The cases are extreme, however. The adults are very high dependency and are very disruptive, and they have to have the care in question.When one sees those cases on one's desk, one puts them for priority and sadly, other disabilities do not get to the top of the queue. The two issues that I am pushing in the service plan negotiations on which I had a significant debate are personal assistant hours and emergency residential places because we need to assist those families that are in a bad situation. Senator McFadden named one and Senator Murnane O'Connor named another. We must pick those issues. There are difficult decisions to be made when one is dealing with a disability issue, and one sees very sad cases. I assure Senators that I listen as much as possible and I am interested in the person with a disability and what his or her needs are.

In addition to this work, Senators will also be aware that there are a number of legislative developments to support the implementation of the convention. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 is one such reform. Indeed, in 2015, the Act was framed to specifically meet Ireland's obligations under the convention. It is significant reforming human rights legislation. I say this for three reasons. First, it emphasised the personal will and preferences. Second, it ensures respect for the rights of persons. Third, it supports the person achieving greater autonomy. Crucially, the Act was designed to meet the needs of people who have age-related conditions; people with disabilities; people who have acquired brain injuries; and people with mental health issues.

The Act conferred on the Mental Health Commission the substantial important function of establishing the decision support service. This service will play a crucial role in vindicating human rights and assuring those who require a service a focus on their needs. It is estimated that the number of adults in Ireland who require the level of support to make decisions is 220,000. No doubt, this figure will only increase in the coming years given our population increase. There will always be other people involved. Decision-making supporters, for example, are people who would be notified of a decision-making support arrangement to be registered with the decision support service. As a Government, we are providing the necessary supports for this. The 2019 Revised Estimates include an allocation of €3.5 million in the Justice and Equality Vote for the services while €3 million was provided last year.

Essentially, we need to ensure that disability is brought into the mainstream. We have a long way to go - I accept the arguments made in the debate - but we have started. We also need to ensure that the necessary administrative process and support measures are put in place and we are committed to doing that before the substantial provisions of any Acts are brought into operation.

I thank Senators for their contributions and for their interest in the disability issue. If there are any particular one-on-one issues where they want me to meet families or have a word with the HSE about particular matters, my door is always open.