Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion. I thank Senator Clonan. I also thank and welcome his family here. It is never easy to stand up and share one's own personal experiences and how they impact on one's own family, but the great value of that is that it is a shared experience and I think that is really important.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for coming to the House to deal with this issue. My Independent colleague, Senator Clonan, understands the challenges people with disabilities face in their daily lives. He has clearly outlined that to us here today, but he has outlined that nearly every week since he was elected to Seanad Éireann.

Senator Clonan has long campaigned for people with disabilities and those who care for them in the fight for equality. This is about equality and fair access. He has also campaigned for our elderly citizens, as is stated in the motion, and all those with acquired injuries or who require supports, services and care packages because that is at the very kernel of this proposal today. As a parent and as an advocate, Senator Clonan has witnessed the failures of the health system and the social supports for people with disabilities. He knows, through lived experience, the importance of supports and services for disabled Irish citizens. Senator Clonan continues to campaign in these Houses to have the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities fully ratified in Ireland through his ongoing work within the Oireachtas and the Joint Committee on Disability Matters.

The Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 seeks to amend the Disability Act 2005 and the Equal Status Act 2000 to make it legally obligatory for the State and the HSE to provide therapies, interventions and supports, outlined in the assessment of need that the Minister of State and all of us are very familiar with. She has come to this House on many occasions to respond to Commencement matters and set out the difficulties and concerns she has in overseeing this brief. The HSE and other authorities say they will provide those services but then the person with a disability or his or her carer do not receive the necessary supports due, usually for reasons cited as funding resources and other measures.

It was very disappointing this morning when we received correspondence from the Leader that she would table an amendment to defer this matter for 12 months. I too had a similar experience in this House where a matter was deferred for nine months, and 18 months later it came to nothing. When I brought a Commencement matter to the House only two weeks ago I was told that nothing was going to happen, having been brought around the merry-go-round and been told that the Government was going to do something, but it did nothing. My fear today is that this will happen again. Let us be clear: we have people in here and in the Upper House crying and talking about their disappointment. They are rubbing their eyes and condemning the services. We have a tripartite Government Administration made up of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. They have it within their power, as they had this morning, to respond favourably to this proposal, which is a reasonable and fair one. Had the Minister of State come to the House and said three months, I could understand it, but the suggestion that this matter will be given a reading in another 12 months is quite frankly a disgrace. I would like if we could engage with the Minister of State until I wrap up. It is a disgrace. It is very disappointing.