Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will bring to the attention of the House the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, report, commissioned by the National Disability Authority, which highlights employment rates among people with disabilities in Ireland. We are fourth lowest among the countries surveyed in that report. People with disabilities in Ireland are twice as likely to experience poverty and deprivation than those without disabilities. This is predicted to worsen, post Covid. I am aware we published a ten-year comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities in 2015. I ask the Minister of State responsible to come to the House to report and update us on that strategy so we may have a debate on it. Even where people with disabilities are working full time, there is a higher rate of poverty than among those without a disability. There is also an education gap in the lack of progression into third level education.

We need a very serious debate in this House on this matter to ensure the House gives its full support to people with disabilities, ensuring they live their best lives and have every opportunity. Whatever obstacle is put in their way, we should always have a disposition of ensuring their equality and access, regardless, to education, schooling and whatever else. We should put the weight of this House behind that and make that statement.In my final minute, I want to refer to an event or so-called protest that occurred last Sunday in my constituency, Dublin South-Central, outside the Tánaiste's house. I call it a "so-called protest" because it was not a protest; it was an intimidation and bullying tactic by a group to ventilate its particular anti-vaccination position. It also included appalling and vile homophobic slurs. There is now a pattern whereby many Ministers have had the experience of their homes being beset by protesters. The group behind the so-called protest on Sunday has said every politician is now liable for a protest outside his or her home. The group is also threatening to protest outside the homes of GPs. It is not acceptable. I am referring to where a group takes it upon itself to engage in the activity I have described, has no reasonableness and cannot be appealed to. My home has a young child and elderly parents. Are their private lives to be open to interference? It is certainly not what any of us signed up to. Maybe we need legislation and to talk about safe zones. We are already talking about safe zones in the context of abortion clinics. We need to address the matter in the context of determining what constitutes a reasonable protest. Our constitutional right to protest and to freedom of expression comes with a responsibility regarding how we do things.