Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

How do I follow that? Well done. I am very proud to have worked with Deputy Rabbitte as Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities and I absolutely stand by her. There is real ambition here. There is an understanding of what should be and what can be. There is no point in anybody standing up here and pretending that things can be fixed overnight but they can be set on a route that ensures a rights-based approach is delivered by this Government, and subsequent governments, on a consistent basis. There has been an increase in spending and in commitment. There has been a wrestling with things. The Minister of State has grabbed things by the scruff of the neck and has been amazing in that regard. I can stand up here and give out about the things that are not happening, not because there is a failure of passion or action on her part but because I know we have a Minister of State who is prepared to deliver as much as is possible. We said, for example, that we should scrap the panel system because it is terrible and that is now happening. In fact, we can look at various counties and assess whether that is happening, how it can happen and whether it can be done elsewhere. I know there is real commitment there.

I had to deal with Mr. Bernard Gloster in the context of Tusla, the mother and baby homes and related issues and he was fantastic. He took a personal interest in anything that I asked him to do. He went way beyond what would ever have been expected of him. Having him at the helm of the HSE is really welcome. It is fantastic.

We need discretion and we need to be nimble and agile, to use the business terms. We need a nimble and agile approach to cater for what is needed. All of that is really important. I will quote from the Green Paper to repeat the point Senator Cummins made earlier about what such a paper entails:

A Green Paper is a Government proposal on how to improve something or solve a problem. It doesn’t claim to be the best way or the only way – its real purpose is to encourage thinking and discussion, and to prompt suggestions.

The consultation period is ongoing. It was due to close in December but the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, extended the deadline to 15 March. Some people have made submissions already and everyone is welcome to do so. I would encourage people to get in there, criticise the things they do not agree with and put them on the record. The idea of scrapping the Green Paper and saying that we will just bin all of the suggestions is disrespectful of the hard work that has gone into the consultation process and into the submissions that were made. I know that the disability sector is unhappy with some of the proposals in the Green Paper but the point is to get in there, critique it, and use it to stimulate discussions about what should be there. The note I got from the Taoiseach's office indicates that it is not a final design for reform. It is not final. The whole point of the consultation is that it is not final.

On the optional protocol, I am very much a champion of the need to ratify it, as is the Minister of State. We need to ratify and implement it as quickly as possible. I would point out that a commitment was made that once the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act was in place we would be able to move on. I know that from discussions at the disability matters committee and the children's committee. It does feel like we are reneging on that commitment, although I know in my heart we are not. We need to figure out what the impediments are. I understand that there are human resources issues, reports to be finalised and so on and at the same time, we are desperately trying to deliver services. We need all hands on deck to make sure we are doing that. I understand that but it is included in our motion and as a consequence, I will not be supporting the amendment.

I want to give the final word to parents. I have spoken about people who have spoken out publicly but I have not spoken about the people I know privately with whom I have sat and cried in their kitchens. As Gail, the mother of Luka, said, "We have been left to rot.". She spoke about being incarcerated and invisible. Whatever we do, we must challenge that feeling and experience and reassure people. I believe that coming from today's motion, there will be a reassurance that we most certainly hear that but we are not just empathetic for its own sake - with every fibre of our being we are delivering and making sure that situation is no more.