Noel O'Donovan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like other speakers, I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. Her success in her position is a success for all of us and will be a success for people with disabilities, who are people we represent. I genuinely wish her well in her work in the years ahead.

A figure that has been reported in recent times is that 22% of the population, or 1.2 million, have a disability or a disabling condition. That is quite a large figure. Other Senators have spoken about the population growth in this country. With the population growth, we have seen an increase in those with need. Having a disability system that is fit for purpose and that represents and provides a level of service is important now but also into the future. It is important that we get our systems and services correct.

I spoke to students in the Gaelscoil Dhoctúir Uí Shúilleabháin in Skibbereen yesterday afternoon about the importance of politics and the job we do in putting policies in place. There is no more important work that we can do than ensuring we have good policies for people with disabilities. In my tenure, during my few years here, I want to continue to raise the issue of respite. I have spoken to the Minister of State previously about the issue. Respite is one of the most important services that can be provided by both the State and service providers in providing support for those who care for people with disabilities.

I also want to mention some of the work that both the Minister of State and other Members have done with regard to programme for Government works and putting in place a strong programme for Government in the area of disabilities. Mention has been made of some of the new supports that are going to be put in place and the increase in funding. The creation of the Minister of State's own role and the fact that she will be sitting at Cabinet is a key benefit for the area.

On respite, and I have spoken to the Minister of State about this previously, having gone through the local elections last year in west Cork and knocked on a lot of doors, the severe lack of respite became apparent after a very short period. Between 15 and 20 people across a number of weeks raised the issue with me. As politicians, when we knock on doors, once an issue starts to be continually raised, we know it is a serious issue. We formed a respite action group in west Cork after those elections, which has met on a number of occasions. I have said to the Minister of State previously that we would like to meet her on a visit to west Cork. As she said, her work at the moment is travelling the country to see what works well in some areas and what units work well. Where there are challenges, we also want her to hear the challenges and the stories of the people in west Cork.

The respite system needs radical change. While there are commitments in the programme for Government to increasing funding, we also need to look at our model of respite. We need to look at best practice in other countries in the EU. France, Belgium and other jurisdictions do respite differently. Maybe work has been done on that previously, but we need to look at it as a Government and as a Department because the people we represent want to see change. It is not just about funding and putting more funding into the areas; we might need to change the service. There are criticisms locally of some of the service providers and we have to be aware of that as well. At times, Governments are blamed, but there are service providers that need to up their game.

My colleague Senator Nelson Murray has asked me to raise another issue, so if the Minister of State does not mind, I will raise it directly with her. It relates to the July provision and the access and inclusion model, AIM. July provisions, when assessed, are a great support for families and the clients. However, like everything with disabilities, some children cannot access them and there are long waiting lists. Senator Nelson Murray spoke directly to the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, which suggested that perhaps the childcare sector can help with July provisions by enabling more children to take part in the July provisions. Their places of work are closed during the summer months but the providers can usually sign on for social welfare, so they are quite willing to provide supports to children with needs.

Second, when it comes to the AIM, why not extend the programme to include children up to three years old? The AIM is a super programme that goes through the ECCE scheme. We know from the research that intervention is likely to be more effective when it is provided earlier in life rather than later. The connections in a baby's brain are most adaptable in the first three years of life. These connections, also called neural circuits, are the foundation for learning behaviour and health.If early childhood care providers are willing to help with providing support for children with additional needs, is that not an opportunity we should grab with both hands? That is thinking outside the box. Early childhood care providers who are ordinarily out of work in the summer and have to sign on are potentially willing to get involved in caring for those with disabilities.

I hope the Minister of State takes what I am saying in good faith. I look forward to what she is planning to do with the respite sector. It needs an element of work. I look forward to working with her during my years in the Chamber. We do this work honestly and diligently because we have to. One of the mothers in the respite group I deal with said to me lately that I am brave to talk about the area of disability. It is our job. That is why we are all here speaking about disability today. We want to see success. I wish the Minister of State well in her work ahead.