Disability Matters: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-22
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Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. Senator Clonan is a great advocate for his son. I cannot imagine walking a day in his footsteps. I cannot imagine walking a day in Tracy Caroll's footsteps or understand what it is like, and I never claimed to know what it is like. I have a friend with two beautiful daughters and I cannot imagine what it is like walking in her shoes or those of the lady whose daughter I helped to get into a residential facility. I will never claim to understand even for a second what the lives of the people who came before the disability matters committee are like.
However, I did not hear a Minister come in here and say that everything is awesome. That was inappropriate. I have not heard a Minister say in the House that things are fantastic and great and look for a round of applause or pat on the back. What I saw was a Minister of State who told us about budget increases and what the Government is trying to do to help the situation. Senator Tully, who always speaks very passionately, mentioned that nothing happened in the last budget. We increased the budget for disability by €620 million. That is not nothing. It is not enough. Everything that we are doing is not enough, but we are trying and we have to recognise that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-22