Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 1 May 1997

Vol. 478 No. 6

Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities: Statements (Resumed).

Mr. Callely

I regret that this debate was so hard fought for. Since the commission's report was published in November, the Fianna Fáil Chief Whip has been looking for time to debate this, and it has taken until now to get it.

Much work has gone into the commission's report. I congratulate my party colleague, Deputy Mary Wallace, on her policy document. I also congratulate all those who participated in bringing forward the reports.

This Government is very much inclined towards commissioning reports and involving consultants. I tabled many questions on consultancies, and the amount of money that has been spent on consultancies during the lifetime of the present Government is shocking. I would be happier if those funds were directed into much needed services for the disabled.

The Review Group on Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities has reported, and we now have 402 recommendations which have been hived off to another group for another report. However, we have failed to put in place appropriate facilities or to remove the barriers against people with disabilities. It is disappointing that so much money is being spent on reports and so little on providing the services required.

As a member of the Eastern Health Board I congratulate all those involved in the delivery of services for people with disabilities. It is only since I became involved in the Eastern Health Board that I have had a real appreciation and a proper understanding of the dedication and vocation of those who, either in a professional capacity or on a voluntary basis, participate in the provision of services for disabled people, particularly those who are more profoundly disabled. One can only admire them.

It is frustrating to see the half-hearted efforts that are made to train disabled people. Having undergone training for several years and worked in a sheltered environment the State fails to follow through, and they are left to walk the plank, so to speak. I appeal to the Minister to provide the necessary resources. So far the Government has failed to do this. I am tired of asking questions in the Dáil and getting nowhere. What would speak volumes would be if the Government provided the necessary funding. These are the final hours of this Dáil. The election campaign has already begun. If there is a real desire to address this matter, it could be done as part of an election campaign. However, I believe the Government will again fail miserably.

Mr. Sargent

I would not pretend to be fully au fait with how people with a disability feel, but I share some of the sense of alienation in this House that disabled people experience in the wider world in their efforts to achieve their full potential working within the system as it is.

On behalf of the Green Party I am happy that, having been postponed twice, this debate is taking place. Even as they listen to this debate, people outside this House must wonder what is to come after it. I hope the Minister will be able to elaborate on that. The recommendations in the report have been welcomed right across the various political parties. However, that is only part of the work. The main work has still to be done.

It is in the area of respite care policy that attention is lacking here, compared with other EU countries. As this is May Day, I would remind the House that parents and others caring for people with disabilities are on their own and do not get the relief or time off that is a fundamental, long-held and hard fought for right for other workers. We need to catch up quickly with our neighbours in the EU in the context of that policy, because Ireland is very far behind other EU countries. People with disabilities are constantly asked to submit information for means testing and so on. I urge the Government to focus on need rather than means. A man of 80 years of age who has been disabled all his life told me recently his disability allowance is being cut. He has received the allowance since he was approximately 16 years of age and needs a carer now more than ever. His allowance is being cut because he is selling land to purchase his county council house and as the money will go to the county council he will no longer qualify for disability allowance. His carer will also be affected by this change. This is an example of how the disabled can be messed around by the system.

Lack of funding is not the entire problem. More understanding of the needs of people with disabilities is required. There is no person with a disability on the interdepartmental task force on disabilities. It comprises principal officers and assistant principal officers from various Departments and, while I am sure they are driven by high motives, they provide only second-hand information on disability. People with disabilities should participate on that task force.

Schoolchildren with disabilities are generally encouraged to take up positions in the Civil Service. Consequently, the majority of people with disabilities who are in the workplace are employed in the Civil Service. Why has none of them risen through the ranks and become part of the task force on disability. We must take immediate measures to ensure people with disabilities serve on the task force so it can benefit from first-hand information of the issues involved.

During questions to the Taoiseach a few weeks ago we were told a sum of £15 million was being made available to supply computers to schools. Much of the debate focused on VAT on computers and the need to ensure all schools would benefit. It was an oversight not to provide computers for those who simply want to communicate with others rather than for those who may want to secure a job in the IFSC or become computer programmers. Basic needs, such as communication, should be considered when allocating the £15 million for the installation of computers in schools. They should be addressed before the more general and luxurious needs of some of our educational institutions.

Many public buildings have provided ramps, lifts and other facilities to enable people with disabilities gain access to them and great care was taken with historical buildings. In future architects should place the needs of people with disabilities to the forefront when designing buildings. Ramps should be provided at the front door of the building, not at the back or side of it. This would also benefit old people and those with a temporary disability, such as a broken leg.

Funding for the provision of facilities for people with disabilities has lagged behind in terms of the priority given to other matters. People with disabilities have been left in the slow lane while those in the fast lane accelerate and celebrate because of the economic boom. Alienation is not simply a matter of personal misery or grief, it is a social malaise. Many other social problems are rooted in the sense of alienation and those with disabilities can speak in confidence about that feeling. Funding must be provided to address the increasing divide between rich and poor. The national strategy on poverty has found that people with disabilities are most likely to be hit by poverty. This can be dealt with only through the equitable distribution of resources and funding.

I compliment those with disabilities and people working with them, whether carers in the home or working in a voluntary or professional capacity with people with sensory or physical disabilities. They have the great quality of being able to do good work day in day out without seeking the type of adulation on which others might insist. They include people working in St. Michael's House, Rehab and various centres in my constituency of Dublin North in Skerries, Rush and Swords. They do fantastic work and it is a pleasure to meet and talk to them.

This debate should be the beginning and not merely an event recorded in the Official Report. It ought to be provocative and should result in the Minister giving a commitment as to what will happen, how the report's recommendations can be implemented and a timeframe for doing that.

Mr. B. Ahern

I am pleased to have been given time to contribute to this debate. I join our spokesperson on disabilities, Deputy Mary Wallace, our spokesperson on equality and law reform, Deputy McDaid and our Whip, Deputy Dermot Ahern, in speaking on this matter. Nine other members of my party wish to speak on it. Questions to the Minister for Finance extended beyond the time allocated for them and that time should be provided to allow my colleagues who wish to participate in this debate to do so either today or next week.

The report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities is one of the most significant documents concerning social issues which we will have to consider in this House for many years. That is why Fianna Fáil has called for a full debate on that report since it was published last November. I am glad that after many delays the Government agreed to hold this extremely limited debate.

People with disabilities form one of the most marginalised and disadvantaged groups in society. The are faced with inaccessible services, inflexible bureaucracies and general public ignorance which compounds their exclusion. Study after study has shown that people with disabilities are dramatically more likely than others to be faced with unemployment, poverty and isolation. Education, transport, health and income support policies have failed to deal effectively with this situation. Society suffers as a result, not only because we fail to vindicate the rights of some of our most vulnerable citizens, but also because we limit the diversity which informs who they are. However, there is hope. From visits to different parts of the country I am continually struck by a range and vitality of achievements by people with disabilities and I am glad that so many of them have joined us here as have many of those who work so successfully with them.

It is impossible to see successes like the ever expanding centres for independent living or the work of groups like the Irish Wheelchair Association, Cerebral Palsy Ireland without being struck by what can be achieved by people working to break down barriers faced by people with disabilities. Another example is the work of companies operating under the supported integrated employment initiative, for which I was proud to introduce funding when I was Minister for Finance.

The overall message to us is clear. While there are many examples of people with disabilities who develop their full potential and make an immense contribution, most of their achievements are made in spite of public policy rather than because of it. The need to constructively address the issues of concern to people with disabilities, their families, carers and advocates is one of the most important challenges facing society. For public policy makers it poses the specific challenge of radically changing the way we deal with disability and putting it where it needs to be, at the top of our agenda. Because we believe this challenge must be dealt with in a co-ordinated and comprehensive manner Fianna Fáil in Government supported the establishment of the commission, pursued it and was responsible for it. When the commission's report was launched last November I welcomed it as a blueprint for achieving equality of respect and opportunity for people with disabilities. I also said that the publication of the report would achieve little without real political commitment to turn its aspirations into concrete action.

We must critically engage the issues raised by the Commission and face up to the idea that a fundamental change affecting every arm of public life is needed. The change can come about only if decision makers at the highest level recognise their responsibilities and make a proactive contribution. Specific principles need to underline our actions and we must redirect public policy to make it empowering and focused on the individual. We must ensure that services are responsive and accessible and we must vindicate the right of people requiring significant care to appropriate services. Perhaps the most critical element of this report is that disability must no longer be seen as solely a health issue. It is a social issue which requires co-ordinated action and it must be permanently on the agenda of every Department and public body.

Since becoming leader of my party I have sought to ensure that we make a real and constructive contribution on disability issues. In addition to asking each member of our Front Bench to include disability in the issues with which they deal, I appointed a specific spokesperson to be responsible for co-ordinating and developing overall disability policy. During the past two years, our spokespersons, Deputy McDaid and particularly Deputy Mary Wallace, have held more than 200 meetings with disability groups throughout the length and breadth of the country, and I commend her for her diligent work in this regard. Questions on disability have been tabled to every member of the Government. Disability issues have been raised by Fianna Fáil spokespersons during committee meetings, discussions on legislation, Adjournment debates and Private Members' Business ensuring that the issue has been addressed during the life of this Government more than it has been since the foundation of the State.

I am proud that the first legislation to enact one of the commission's recommendations was Fianna Fáil's Bill on disabled voters passed in December through the work of Deputy Mary Wallace. We are fully committed to ensuring that people with disabilities can play a full role in political life. I am pleased to announce that Fianna Fáil has consultations on its positive action programme. This aims to promote participation by people with disabilities at all levels of the party's activities, including representation, and to ensure that issues relevant to all people concerned are at the core of our policy discussions inside and outside this House.

Early last year we published the most comprehensive policy document on disability ever produced by an Irish political party. When I launched it I stressed we viewed it as a part of an ongoing process of consultation and dialogue. We received many approaches from individuals and organisations to discuss it and they have made a valuable contribution to developing our thinking on a range of issues. I thank all those who helped in any way in our ongoing preparations and with the finalisation of our document on disabilities. I stress we are committed to maintaining and developing proactive dialogue into the future.

I welcome the establishment of the Council on People with Disabilities as it will play a vital role in the change of advocacy which will ensure that the views of all people actively concerned with disability are heard. My party held a meeting with representatives of the council and we intend to continue those consultations on a regular basis. In addition to discussing the commission's report, we should also address the report of the review group on physical and sensory disabilities. After significant and unsatisfactory delays in the Department of Health, that report was finally published before Christmas. It deals with many important issues and deserves our full attention.

The challenge facing us is to stop being observers of the process and to critically engage with the issues addressed by the commission. In discussions in this House during the past few years the commission has been used as an all purpose excuse for not addressing a range of disability issues. The report has been passed to another committee and the standard reply from Departments to questions on disability is they are awaiting the report of the new committee before considering action. The net effect is that most Departments have failed to undertake even the most obvious and widely needed initiatives. The need for comprehensive action does not obstruct the fact that much of what needs to be done is obvious to all and there is no reason to delay in taking action. Failure to provide significant funding for implementing the commission's proposals has caused justifiable outrage inside and outside this House. We must all demonstrate our willingness to act on the agenda which both the Commission and the review group have set up. Because of this, my party if returned to Government will put in place a funding framework for both reports and will commence the allocation of this funding in the budget later this year.

On the submission by the Centre for Independent Living for setting up an independent living fund, I have discussed this at length with my front bench colleagues, including our Finance spokesperson, Deputy McCreevy, and our Equality spokesperson, Deputy McDaid. We have reached agreement on the issue and will include it in our election proposals.

No matter how many reports are produced by committees of civil servants or outside management groups, the bottom line is that the Government will take decisions that matter. Political commitment will decide whether the aspirations of the Commission and all those concerned with disabilities are fulfilled. For those who did not already appreciate this, the Commission has reinforced the point that radical action is needed and must touch every arm of Government. The only way this action will be taken is if disability becomes central to what we do in this House and in the broader political process.

Through its wide-ranging and inclusive consultation process, its extensive research and the commitment of its members, the Commission has produced an impressive blueprint on equality. I congratulate its members for their work and support the report. I hope Deputies will use the opportunity of this debate to show that we are all committed to showing the necessary political will to realise the Commission's objectives. Some ten of my colleagues remain to contribute but I do not know if they will have the necessary time in which to do so. I am glad we have had an opportunity to debate this report and to display my party's total commitment to it.

Dr. McDaid

I am disappointed at the number of Government Deputies who have contributed to this debate. As my party leader indicated, we have quite a number of speakers who wish to contribute from this side of the House. Unfortunately, the Government seems embarrassed and is putting in speakers at the end of the debate.

I have an aversion to the words "mentally handicapped" in the context in which they are generally used. This description has too often been applied to a range of conditions which include, for instance, cerebral palsy. Victims of cerebral palsy are inflicted with severe physical disabilities which include lack of co-ordination, frequent spasms and a marked inability to communicate in a normal manner. Not many years ago such people would have been incarcerated for life in what were then known as lunatic asylums, in spite of the fact that there was no mental disability involved.

This fact was dramatically highlighted in the cases of two of our most celebrated writers, the legendary Christy Browne, author of "My Left Foot", and the award winning Christopher Nolan. The film producer, Noel Pearson, won two Oscars with "My Left Foot" and also produced another important film, "Frankie Starlight", highlighting the disadvantages for people of small stature. As a medical practitioner, I was embarrassed, having seen that moving production, at my lack of knowledge of the disadvantages that such people encounter.

Both Christy Brown and Christopher Nolan had cerebral palsy and both had remarkable mothers who showed great love and extraordinary patience. These women observed a spark of genius in their sons and ensured, with a devotion only a mother could achieve, that their genius would find full expression. That is all any of these people are looking for — the right to equality and the right to full expression. The average onlooker watching these young men growing up, would have regarded them as being mentally handicapped.

Too many of us have been handicapped by our blindness to the real plight of the disabled. It is not that we lack compassion. Indeed, Irish people as individuals are among the most generous in the world in subscribing to every good cause under the sun. However, when we dig deep into our pockets at the church gates or elsewhere, perhaps we assume this or that group have been taken care of for another year by voluntary subscriptions and whatever grants the State allows.

It is not that simple. Unfortunately, ours is a small country and the provision of extra resources is always a major problem. It is cynical, when in Opposition, to demand large amounts of money for just about everything. All parties have been guilty in that respect. This is supposed to be good politics but it is high time we all acknowledged that it is not. Even if we could pluck a further £100 million out of the hat tomorrow, it would not guarantee that the problems we are discussing today could be solved to any great extent. We must establish our priorities and then do our best to ensure value for money with whatever expenditure we can afford.

The Constitution charges us with the responsibility of cherishing all the children of the nation equally. If there is to be discrimination, however, it should be in favour of, rather than against, the disabled. I doubt whether many of us who are blessed with good health and all our faculties would object to that.

I welcome this important debate but the delay of six months in discussing the report is indicative of the lack of concern this Government has about disability issues. The time allowed for the debate is a fraction of that allocated to other matters. The only reason this debate is being held today is Fianna Fáil has steadfastly maintained political pressure on the Government. The Government's indifference to disability is symptomatic of a wider societal malaise. This makes its lack of leadership all the more serious.

People in general, and that includes most people in politics, have a "them and us" attitude to disability. People with disability are seen as a separate group. Reactions may vary from indifference to sympathy and support. A sense of otherness, however, generally pervades the entire spectrum of opinion.

Those of us who are not disabled should remember, and if necessary be reminded, that we are only temporarily able-bodied people. We were all born disabled. We are alive now by virtue of having had the benefit of a totally supportive and life-giving environment as infants. In the course of our lives many of us will suffer from disability, if not permanently then certainly for a period. A broken limb or a serious illness may give some of us a temporary insight into the reality of disability. Most of us, however, not only recover, but forget as well.

At the end of our lives most of us will become disabled. We will again become dependent, lose our power to make decisions, lose our mobility and, in many cases, our dignity. The disability brought with old age will vary in extent and duration but for most of us it is an inescapable fact. By then, it will be too late for us to address the issues in the Commission's report.

Some people face disability not only at the beginning and end of their lives but for all or most of it as well. Legislators are being asked to address the issues affecting them in their daily lives. We should do so in the knowledge that their circumstances could at any time be our circumstances and almost inevitably will be at one time or another in our lives. The report of the Commission is to be welcomed because it lays bare a stark reality. We must now find the resources to implement it. Fianna Fáil supports the report's call for an integrated approach to the issues surrounding disability.

Disability is seen by this Government as a health issue. The extreme reluctance of the Minister for Education to address her share of the agenda and the foot dragging by the Minister for Social Welfare in relation to taking over responsibility for disability payments from the health boards is evidence of this. Long-term solutions must begin with the education system.

Mr. Taylor

The Deputy was complaining about Government speakers.

Dr. McDaid

We are now reaping the dividends of the investment made in our schools for decades. Our educated population is our greatest economic asset, but unfortunately people with disabilities are largely excluded from the education system. They are now being excluded from what is commonly known as the Celtic tiger economy.

Dr. Woods

On a point of order, will the Minister reply to the debate?

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

The debate is not concluding today.

Mr. Pattison

It is impossible to deal with this matter in the short time available to me. This debate would not be taking place if Labour Party policy on this issue had not been implemented and Deputy Taylor had not been appointed Minister for Equality and Law Reform.

The report makes 402 recommendations on how to solve the problems faced by people with disabilities, which were ignored by previous Administrations. We should be concerned about this issue. Five or six years ago this House was completely inaccessible for wheelchair users. A parking bay and ramp have since been provided, but Members obstruct them almost on a daily basis.