Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 February 2022
346. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he and his Department continue to pursue issues of inequality in the context of access to services for persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5756/22]
View answerThe Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education. The Acts cover nine grounds of equality, including that of disability. In addition, the Acts prohibit discrimination in the provision of accommodation services against people who are in receipt of rent supplement, housing assistance, or social welfare payments.
Where an individual considers that they have been discriminated against based on one of the named grounds, it is open to them to make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
My Department conducted a consultation seeking the public’s views on a review of the Equality Acts (Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 and the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015), which ran from July to December last year. The review will examine the functioning of the Acts and their effectiveness in combatting discrimination and promoting equality, including in relation to disability.
This Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. Our determination to improve services and supports for people with disabilities and their families is clear in our Programme for Government. My colleague at the Department of Health, Minister Donnelly, secured an additional package of €115m in Budget 2022 (including €10m one-off Covid funding for specialist community-based disability services which are delivered or funded by the HSE, and builds on the €100m funding allocated in 2021 to enhance these specialist disability services.
The Disability Capacity Review to 2032 sets out the Disability Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements up to 2032. This review has carefully drawn on best available evidence and information to estimate the scale of current outstanding need for HSE-funded disability services, and how the scale and shape of need is likely to evolve over the years to 2032.
Work is underway on preparing an Action Plan for Disability Services 2022-2025, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government to work towards implementing the Disability Capacity Review.
