Mr. Seán Kelly:

I compliment Senator Conway on all his good work in this area. He is an example of how to overcome a disability and have a very successful political career, which he is to be complimented on. I remember when I became uachtarán of the GAA, one of the first things I was privileged to do was host the Special Olympics in Croke Park. It was the first time they were held outside the United States. There is a legacy from that, especially as regards sport, etc., and an awareness of what can be done, particularly at local level. There is an awful lot being done at local level in the area of the Special Olympics and, internationally, Mary Davis has spoken in that regard.

I have come across other areas that should be complimented. One is the question of social farming. Senator O'Sullivan will know that I visited a place in his neck of the woods in Ballybunion, where people with Down's syndrome went to different farms for one day a week and did some work. It was a highlight in their lives. A lot can be done in that regard. Another area I found interesting came up when I attended a seminar a few years ago at European level on tourism for those with disabilities. One point that was strongly made, which struck me, is we are talking about putting facilities in place for those with disabilities, but have we actually consulted with them? That is another thing. Ireland could give the lead in that regard and I would like to see it happening. We are good in many ways, but we can do an awful lot. I agree with Ms O'Sullivan on that, and on the issues of access and employment. We should ask people what they need rather than doing what we think they might need.

Senator Conway's point is very important. It tests our humanitarianism and our genuine respect for treating everybody equally, but we have to consult with people and then take on board what they do, primarily at national level. There is very good legislation at European level, but only last week we discussed going back to full participation in the Parliament and one of the things said was that everybody would have to speak from the rostrum. Somebody asked whether we had allowed for people with disabilities and how they were going to get to the rostrum. We have to be more aware of this issue in every aspect.