Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too am very pleased to support this motion on behalf of the Civil Engagement Group. I am grateful to Senator O'Loughlin and the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus for producing such an expansive and detailed motion about such a timely and important set of interlocking issues. There is no doubt but that this motion addresses gender equality, social justice, disability rights, the politics of ageing and much more. It would be impossible to address everything in just a few minutes so I will limit my remarks to just a few issues raised in the motion.

We are an ageing and increasingly disabled population. We are also tasked with reshaping the economy in a way that provides high-quality, low-carbon employment, that can generate better public services that reduce inequality and promote social solidarity. That is a real challenge but it is also an opportunity. Ireland is a very wealthy country, one of the wealthiest in the world, and with sufficient political will a rights-based care economy is in our reach. I know this is not in this Minister of State's particular area but to achieve it would mean radically transforming the way we have previously conceptualised care.

Let us face it, Ireland's paternalistic and patriarchal form of care has placed huge burdens on family and kinship networks to take on unpaid work in the absence of adequate State provision. When you think about it, the work done by carers in the home saves the State billions and prevents the inadequately resourced long-term care system from collapse. Successive Governments have heaped praise on carers and have acknowledged the love they give and the sacrifices they make but they have not adequately compensated and supported them. This motion outlines important measures that can be taken in this respect, which is brilliant. It also endorses efforts to enshrine gender equality, as well as the rights of caregivers in the Constitution.

Government policy has created a situation where paid care workers, who are disproportionately women and migrants, are underpaid and poorly treated. I do not think traditionally feminised work has been given the respect and compensation it deserves. The increasing reliance on private agencies to provide nursing and social care services is driving down standards, pay and conditions. This helps to explain the staffing shortages in many different services. We can see the devastating results of this low-wage care economy in the huge waiting lists, for example, for crèche places and home help services. The recent announcement that section 39 health and social care workers in a range of voluntary sector care providers will take indefinite strike action from next month demonstrates that the status quois simply unsustainable. I support those workers taking industrial action. The efforts to unionise care workers and to collectively bargain will be an important driver of reform in this sector that will benefit both workers and the people those workers support and care for.

The motion has several references to Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ireland's ratification of the UNCRPD was a huge step forward. I give great credit to the activists who fought for years to make it happen. Unfortunately, despite the ratification of the convention, there continues to be new legislation produced and enacted that is not compliant with the UNCRPD. This was the case with the assisted decision-making legislation, which was progressive and long overdue but still flawed in crucial areas. More needs to be done to align our laws with our international human rights obligations.

I also want to highlight an issue that has been raised by Senator Boyhan. The Government is currently running a very powerful advertising campaign with the message that disability rights are human rights. It is a very noble message but I wonder how disabled people feel when they see those advertisements. Do they feel vindicated or does it underscore how badly they are being let down? We must face that. Despite the positive rhetoric from the Government, young people are being forced into nursing homes because they cannot get the care they need to live independently. Parents watch helplessly as their disabled children's conditions worsen over time due to long waiting lists for essential surgeries. Disabled artists are prevented from accessing creative funding because it would interfere with their disability allowance. It is heartbreaking. I could go on. The time has come for Ireland to ratify the optional protocol to the UNCRPD. This would give disabled people the ability to litigate violations of their UNCRPD rights. It is crucial to ensure that people can highlight gaps in the care system and vindicate their rights. Building a rights-based care economy means treating every human being in society with the dignity and respect that they deserve.It means valuing the paid and unpaid care work that people, mostly women, are doing and making sure they are adequately supported and compensated. It means building a society and an economy based on solidarity and co-operation rather than greed and speculation. It would be a radical transformation that would benefit workers, communities and the environment. We need to work to make sure disability rights are tangible and actionable, not just rhetorical. That means strong public services that workers and service users can rely on and legal rights that can be litigated through the courts, if necessary, with the provision of civil legal aid.

I again thank members of the Irish Women's Parliamentary Caucus for all their work on this motion and on behalf of the Civil Engagement Group, I wholeheartedly support it.