Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone who contributed to the debate and the conversation this afternoon. Normally when I wrap up a conversation I try to address the people who have waited this long to contribute and give them answers or some form of feedback. I do not stick to a script, which concerns Department officials, but I will do my best.

Senator Keogan spoke about the 24 service users who have not returned to their unit. That unit is currently an isolation unit but I am led to believe that those users are getting an outreach model. I will talk to the Senator further about this afterwards but I did some my research while I was sitting here.

Senator Boylan spoke about Inclusion Ireland. That was my starting base when I became Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities. The report was launched the morning after I took up this position and there was an awful lot of reading within it. It might have come from a small basis but regardless the voices were heard very clearly and were very reflective of many families and the frustration of people around the country. I look forward to next week's report. The Senator seems to have a little more information on the report than I do. I look forward to its publication next week in order to learn more from it. It will be very reflective of what was said in the House this evening about the frustration and the struggle. I am acutely aware of that and that is what the budget was built on.

Senator Ruane asked for a timeline for the optional protocol to the UNCRPD and everything else. I am led to believe that much work is being done on that and we should see progress on it in the new year. The Senator is also aware of the work that is going on at the new Joint Committee on Disability Matters, which she acknowledged. We will be tick-tacking with that committee and I wish its Chairman, Deputy Michael Moynihan, the very best of luck with it. It will be a great place with such a skill set from Senators and Deputies who will talk about the nuts and bolts of service providers on a day-to-day basis. We will also talk about the legislation that is needed to make things happen. It will be a good place where Senator Higgins and many other Senators can bring through the legal structures and strands that are needed to ensure these services work.

Senator Garvey brought up Clare and articulated the frustration regarding transport, which is a huge piece, as is the integration aspect of it. I am meeting the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, on Friday to discuss transport and integration and how we can make things more accessible. The Minister is spending €1 million a day on greenways, walkways and cycleways and we must ensure persons with disabilities can also have the same claw on that money. When we hand it over to local authorities or whoever, we must ensure the voices of those with disabilities are at the core because if something is good and inclusive enough for persons with a disability, it is inclusive for all. That is what I am trying to do there. I am trying to disability-proof things.

To go back to the county I share with Senators Kyne and Dolan, we cannot say enough good things about Ability West, the Brothers of Charity or Enable Ireland. That is no different for the providers in all other constituencies and counties. They do phenomenal work. Senator Kyne's ending remarks were wonderful. They will stick with me and I wrote them down. He spoke about making do and how we have to stop the "make do" attitude. We have to plan, reform and put a sustainable sector in place. This sector is something we have made do with. This is not about a particular Government at any one time. It is about who can shout the loudest to make that space. I will work with all my Oireachtas colleagues, across all Departments and both Houses, to ensure that "make do" attitude changes and we put in a sustainable structure in place.

Senator Kyne also spoke about integrating technology and Senator Conway mentioned employment. Technology will be such an important aspect of that. We talk about innovation hubs, community hubs and connecting people and for the first time ever, Covid showed us that we can connect people through technology and have that whole inclusion piece. That is what the €20 million fund is about, for the HSE or the providers themselves to show new innovations and new directions. They must show us what they will do differently as a provider and, if the Department is to fund them, how exactly they are doing something different and resetting the dial. Service users want to hear that we are prepared to reset the dial on disability and that is what that €20 million is about.

We also need collaboration and joined-up thinking with service providers regarding transport. If a bus from Ability West goes down a certain road and the Brothers of Charity go down the same road, then there are two buses from the one area going in the one direction. We might have a little bit of collaboration by having one bus providing a service to both families. That is inclusion and integration from the start. The bus might be bringing people to different providers but we can do that.

Senator Byrne referred to my visit to St. Aidan's in Gorey. It was a good visit and a lot of learning was taken from it. I saw first-hand the beauty and the integration that was taking place, the workshop and the garden centres, how a community can evolve and where people with disabilities are at the centre of community. It was borne out well and we had a great cup of tea afterwards. That was prior to the current restrictions, in case anyone is wondering. It was a very informative evening.

Senator McGreehan is my spokesperson on disability in the Seanad. She is my eyes and ears and keeps me updated on a regular basis. She spoke about the families of carers and the person-centred approach. We must acknowledge the role of carers at all times. Senator Kyne drew that out again. He talked about the impact of a whole-of-family approach and he is right about that. Teenagers doing their leaving certificate or junior certificate exams are stressed and do not know what is going on. That is awfully important for the parent who has to balance that care. I applaud carers and we should be doing more for them.