Disability Services
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-28
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Higgins. The timing of my Commencement matter today could not have been more appropriate because this Saturday is World MS Day. This is observed worldwide, including in Ireland. World MS Day raises the awareness of the needs of people living with multiple sclerosis and their families. It is an opportunity to highlight the work of the professionals who work with and care for people with multiple sclerosis. It is also an opportunity for those with multiple sclerosis and their loved ones to acknowledge the full lives they still enjoy through events that will take place are all around the county. A lot will be happening all around this country this weekend.
I raised this a number of months ago. MS Ireland organised a briefing in the audiovisual room in Leinster House yesterday. I do not know whether the Minister of State was in attendance. There were many representatives on various different issues present. Two representatives were from Sligo, where there is a continued absence of services. Sligo and Leitrim are the only counties that do not have a dedicated multiple sclerosis community worker. This is alarming because Sligo, Leitrim and that region have the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the country. Yet, they do not have a dedicated community worker.
It is estimated that some 300 people in Sligo and Leitrim are living with multiple sclerosis. This is an estimate because most people become known to MS Ireland through a community worker who works on the ground. A total of 122 individuals have made themselves known to MS Ireland. They have been accessing services through neighbouring counties, such as Donegal. Donegal has been particularly generous with its resources to help these people.
Everyone’s experience of living with multiple sclerosis is different. There are different levels of support based on the different needs. The role of community workers - I know this from working as one - is pointing, directing and signposting people with diagnoses to available services and assisting with grant applications. Their role is important.
One of the first representations I received as a Senator was from a young woman in Sligo who has multiple sclerosis. She needed an adaptation for her car. As there is no dedicated community worker in Sligo, she reached out to me and I was able to link in with Donegal. There is a real absence in this regard. MS Ireland submitted a business plan to the Department in 2025. I wish to find out what stage that business case is at and whether there is any update on it. These people are being discriminated against based on their location, especially given that Sligo and Leitrim have the highest incidence of multiple sclerosis. The estimated cost – this has not increased in the year since it first submitted it - is €72,997. That is all it is looking for. Its role is vital in people’s lives, particularly when it comes to the initial diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. I am seeking an update in this regard.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-28