Tom Clonan (Independent)

I see the Minister disagrees with me, but in our lived experience with a disabled child, we saw the entire collapse of all of his services, supports and therapies. That is a situation from which disabled citizens in this country have not recovered. That is why we have children unable to obtain proper diagnoses or surgical treatments on the spinal or urological waiting lists. It is why we have tens of thousands of children and family members who cannot get a school place. The situation for disabled citizens in this country is completely out of step with the rest of our European Union partners. It is abject. It is an echo and a direct consequence of the imposition of cuts in health and disability that took place during the austerity years.

I asked the then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, for this assurance back in 2011 when he came into power. Will the Minister give us an assurance that notwithstanding any economic shocks that confront us, he will not impose further cuts, pain or austerity on disabled citizens? Will he commit to ring-fence the funding that is there for them and to assist and support them at a time of economic difficulty? I am all about socioeconomic rights for disabled citizens. I learn and read that, shamefully, during the referendum campaigns, advice was given to Government and warnings were given to the then Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, not to put a wording into the referendum that would give disabled citizens socioeconomic rights. It is an absolute moral and ethical imperative, which I know the Minister shares, that we give disabled citizens economic rights. I ask him to give us an assurance or guarantee that he will protect and ring-fence the funding for disabled citizens, come what may.