Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Tom Clonan (IND), University of Dublin

The MEPs are very welcome. I know the sacrifice they make in terms of lost time with their families when it comes to operating in Strasbourg and Brussels. I thank them for their public service. We are well represented in Europe, notwithstanding the differences we might have.
On disability rights, in advance of our Presidency, Ireland is in an outlier in the European Union. We do not have legal rights to services, supports or therapies for disabled citizens. We are the only country in the EU without that. We are in breach of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. We are in breach of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. Ireland is in breach of principle 17 of the European Pillar of Social Rights, specifically as it applies to dignity, services and participation. We are in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The HSE, in a letter it sent to an elderly woman trying to look after her adult child with Down's syndrome, told her that she is legally responsible to "indefinitely" accommodate and care for her child until she dies. That applies in the case of children aged up to 18 years, students aged up to 23 years and disabled citizens until the parent dies. This flies in the face of the people. Can the MEPs get me in front of the disability platform in advance of Ireland talking over the Presidency? Can they get me in front of the European Disability Forum, EDF? Can they facilitate me to address the mechanism for reporting on the EU's disability strategy for the period 2021-2030?
Do the MEPs think it is okay to talk about pay inequality in a country? I think it is okay to talk about workforce planning and legal or illegal immigration because they are legitimate concerns. When one nationality or ethnic group is identified in a pejorative fashion, that group is subjected to hostile scrutiny. That is hate speech. Do the MEPs agree?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18