Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Others have commented on today being day one of level 3. Businesses are going to be impacted hugely by these restrictions but we all need to work together to ensure we get through this. The tailbacks, particularly around Dublin, are very difficult. Many of the people caught in tailbacks are front-line workers and many of them are doing deliveries. That has to be looked at again.

Like Senator Bacik, I wish to discuss the disability sector. A number of weeks ago, we heard that more staff would be assigned to ensure the backlog of assessment needs would be looked after. This was welcome news for all of us who are concerned about people with disabilities and their families. I was contacted this morning by a mum, Samantha Kenny in Athy, who told me that because of the backlog being addressed her five-year-old daughter Ava, who has complex needs, has now had her occupational therapist, OT, speech therapist and physiotherapist taken from her. As a family they have been dealing with many challenges. Basically, 3.5 clinicians, namely, a part-time psychologist, an OT, a speech therapist and a physiotherapist, have been taken from the pool of the network disability team in south Kildare to deal with the new assessments. This is completely wrong. Many children have been impacted and a particular special school has been impacted as well. That is happening in mid and north Kildare and I have no doubt that it is happening all around the country as well. It makes no sense to take clinicians to deal with one backlog and create another, when these children absolutely need intervention. Will the Minister of State with responsibility for disability come in and address this? Perhaps we could send her a letter from the Seanad saying this is absolutely not the way to go.