Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Again, I support Senator Higgins. She has set out very clearly the rationale behind her amendment on the rights of persons with disabilities. We have designated disability officers in our local authorities, or we should have. There may be a gap or vacancy currently but there are designated disability officers. I make the point, and it is important we raise this in the House, that there are a lot of shortcomings. I have experienced and have had people make representations to me on accessing services locally. I do not want to talk about the generality of local authorities today because I want to keep the focus here on the Limerick mayor. Yes, it is important that Senator Higgins has raised this issue and I support her on it, but a lot of it is down to resourcing. It is a full-time office. It is not always a full designated stand-alone office in some local authorities. It is a shared function within the local authority itself. There are huge challenges.

Only today, I made representations on behalf of a couple who were in their first local authority house, and they are 82 and 84 years of age. They were years waiting on the list, and while the property they were given was a very nice cottage in a very nice seaside location in south county Dublin, it did not address their needs for their very first home. For orientation and getting into a place, it was a very small little one-bedroom unit, but it was not suitable to their needs because, and this is not to be ageist in any way, when you are in your eighties, you have disabilities and ill-health, and you are moving to a new community you have never lived in, there are many factors that need to be worked into your special needs for you so that you can be an active citizen within your own community.

I do not doubt the commitment of local authorities, elected members or mayors, cathaoirligh or subcommittees. The issue is very much about additional resources. I know this goes outside the scope of the Minister of State's remit but this is an all-of-government approach, as Senator Higgins said, and perhaps it is an issue the Minister of State can bring back to his colleagues in government. We always have to be mindful that we need the necessary resources and supports so that people can live their full life as well as they possibly can, with ability or disability. It is a very valid and appropriate point to raise and I support Senator Higgins in this regard.