Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for coming to the House to address this issue. Over 1,000 people in Ireland require the use of artificial limbs every year. Many people will have heard Saoirse tell her story on the "The Late Late Toy Show" but there was also a piece on "Prime Time" last week with Louise Byrne. A number of stories were told in the programme, one of which was that of Darragh McDonald, a friend of mine from Gorey. He is a gold-medalist Paralympian. He told his story. In his case, because of the limbs he requires, the cost is in the order of €16,000 every two years. The Minister of State will also have heard the story of Darren Kelly, who spoke about his son Éanna, who needs two prosthetic legs, at a cost of €5,000 to €6,000 each per year. If one breaks, the total cost could be €15,000 in a year.

The only way those who require prosthetic limbs can apply for them is by getting a medical card. In many cases, they have to apply for a discretionary medical card. That process can take a long time. I am aware that the Minister of State shares some of my concerns about means testing in the case of permanent disability. Those who require prosthetic limbs need them for their entire lives. There is a problem in that families always have to apply for renewal. Even when this is approved, they have to wait a number of months for the limbs to become available. A growing child, in particular, may not be able to get around. "Prime Time" addressed the issue of the HSE and the postcode lottery that exists. There is a commitment to trying to resolve this but the difficulty is that there has not been an improvement in processing times.

It is a question of determining how we can allow those with a disability to play their full part in society. I am aware that the Minister of State is very committed to this. We must ensure those with a disability can reach or exceed their potential. We achieve this in so many other areas. With regard to getting people into higher education, we have the disability access route to education, DARE, scheme in place. We talk about trying to increase the number of people with a disability in the workplace but, with regard to prostheses, sufficient support is not made available. If we compare our health system with others across Europe, we note that we are clearly behind the curve.

For people like Saoirse, Darragh and Éanna, and thousands of others, I ask that we be innovative and consider putting in place a proper scheme, be it through guaranteed discretionary medical cards or tax deductions, whereby those relying on prostheses do not face a barrier and their families do not have to spend the whole time campaigning or fundraising. I ask the Minister of State to intervene with the HSE to take action on this.