Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before making my main contribution, I formally second the proposal from Senator Ward.

We need to have a real debate about how we are going to deal with our vulnerable adults and how they can access the services they have. We have had a very significant debate in the past number of years about school transportation. Rightly or wrongly, there have been changes there. There is a lack of actual transportation to get vulnerable adults to their five-day a week services whether it is the Cope Foundation or CoAction. This is a very significant issue for us in society. They have access to transportation but when they reach the age of 18 they do not and are literally thrown off the bus. They need to find an avenue where they can have a continuous ability to get to these services and attend them on a five-day week scenario.

What is happening is that at present, 11 students in Beara will be obliged to travel on Irish Rural Link transportation in an unsupervised way from the next few weeks onwards, because there will be no other way in the future that they will be able to reach their services. I have been contacted by parents from Kilbrittain who go to Dunmanway every day, and this will be the case for the rest of their lives. They will need to access their services and take their vulnerable adult, who is now 18, to these services for the next 20 to 30 years, for as long as they are available. We have no policy as to how we are going to close this loop and I believe we must have a significant debate on this issue. It is not on the radar and is not being spoken about.As a result, families are tied and have no ability to have a life. They do so much for society and we need to help them. We should have a debate about prioritising transportation for vulnerable adults in order that they can live independent lives.