Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation, which offers extensive protections to workers. My Department has no plans at present to introduce new legislation to govern employment references.

While there is no statutory entitlement to a reference from an employer, where an employer does provide a reference, they have a duty of care to ensure it is fair and not misleading.

Where an employee believes their employer has provided a false employment reference, legal recourse may be possible where an under the Defamation Act 2009, which falls under the responsibility of the Minister for Justice.

In reality, however, little has happened, and that is the reason we have tabled this motion.

The Government's own commissioned report, the Indecon report entitled The Cost of Disability in Ireland, confirms that people living with a disability face additional costs of living explicitly related to disability, transport and mobility issues. Those costs are equivalent to the current payment rate of the disability allowance. Today the problem is that the disability allowance is paid at a rate which is supposed to meet the essential living costs of a citizen in this country but does not. Instead it covers just the additional cost associated with having a disability, leaving people effectively to live on fresh air, and that is not good enough. People with disabilities need access to affordable public and personal transport. Many people with disabilities, however, are confined to the home and are unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or in their community as they cannot access Government support to help with their transport needs.

I urge the Minister to take on board this motion, not just in principle but in a way that ensures it is implemented in full as a matter of urgency.

The 2023 St Patrick's Day programme saw the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Government Ministers take part in an extensive international programme to promote Ireland and Irish interests around the world. These visits provided an opportunity for Ministers to promote Irish trade and meet business leaders, to engage with political counterparts and to meet the Irish diaspora in different locations.

As part of this St Patrick’s Day programme, I visited Australia and carried out a wide-ranging programme of community, business and political engagements in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth. However, I did not meet the Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police during this visit.

I can confirm that Enterprise Ireland has already engaged and will continue to engage with the company concerned regarding the proposal that has been submitted.

I understand that the company’s proposal is being reviewed by Enterprise Ireland through the usual due diligence and due process procedures.

I hope the issues raised in it will lead to a situation in Ireland where every person with a disability will be able to access all modes of public transport without having to worry if he or she will be able to get on them. I also hope it will lead to a situation where every person with a disability is supported in having his or her own method of private transport without the cost of adaptions or specialised equipment proving to be a stumbling block. I hope the Government can prioritise actions in this area and leave a legacy of support and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Unfortunately, I have to bring to the Minister's attention that while I have no doubt this is not his fault, the much-needed funding of over €200,000 for Windmill therapeutic training unit, which he sanctioned, and of €140,000 for Cumas New Ross, particularly for transport, has not yet been received. The headline today is that St. Aidan's Day Care Centre in Gorey, a respite centre, is closing because it has not got the staff. We know it has not got the staff because funding is required to increase their salaries to prevent them from being poached by none other than the HSE, leaving section 39 organisations desolate.

On Easter weekend, I had a situation where a young boy was taken into full-time residential care at a cost to the State of €33,000 per month. This is for the want of respite, and here we are. I mentioned three projects in County Wexford. These are section 39 organisations catering for hundreds of people in need of respite and day services. That cost jeopardy is being put on the State, never mind the fact that the people who expect the service cannot rely on it. I ask the Minister to address the issue.

The Ombudsman’s report stated that if, as a country, we are committed to the full implementation of the UNCRPD, we must ensure an inclusive approach to ensuring all those living with a disability can participate equally and actively in their communities and work. Transport really is a liberator for people with a disability, particularly if they live in a rural area.

First and foremost, I would like to point out the fact that there has been no progress on this issue since our motion on 16 February 2022. The lack of action and delay by the Government in introducing a fair and fit-for-purpose transport scheme for people with disabilities is significantly affecting their ability to live independently and participate in all aspects of life.

At one time, three schemes were operating for disability transport services. Two schemes were suspended in 2013. It is now 2023 and these schemes have not been replaced, even though it was indicated at the time that alternatives would be devised. The third scheme, that is, the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme, became one of the few avenues available to families seeking additional help as it provided tax relief on the purchase of specially constructed or adapted vehicles and wheelchairs for someone with a disability.

The primary medical certificate is a key component in the life of people with disabilities. The Indecon report stated that the cost of living with a disability is between €9,000 and €12,000 per individual. This is the cost of items specifically relating to disability, special versions of products and transport and mobility on top of their ordinary living costs. The scheme recognises the fact that people with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives within our communities via access to public and personal transport. However, the fight to secure primary medical certificates is making disabled people prisoners in their own homes. Applicants are being rejected the required medical certificate following assessment at community level because the six eligibility criteria for this scheme are highly restrictive and exclude many people with genuine, severe and permanent disabilities from accessing supports. Unable to access Government support to help with their personal transport needs, they are confined to their homes, unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or in their community. On top of this, they have been left waiting for an appeal date due to the inaccessibility of a sitting board.

With the Taoiseach announcing the re-establishment of the board during Leaders’ Questions in February, questions arose regarding the review of eligibility criteria for this new board as well as how long it will take to process the backlog from the pandemic and from the suspension following the Supreme Court decision in June 2020 and the subsequent resignation of all members of the previous board in late 2021. I received an email from the board of appeal on Tuesday, 2 May regarding one of my constituents. This person had the assessment appointment on 10 March 2022, which was rejected, and has been on the waiting list for an appeal ever since. The email stated that “There is no word from the Department of Finance yet as to when we can resume the clinics”. We need an update on this now.

We need a scheme that looks at disability in terms of functions rather than pathology. We should ask about a person's level of function and what the person needs in the vehicle. They should qualify on that basis whether they are autistic, epileptic or a stroke patient. We need to look at a graded system of support. Some people need big adaptations, such as special vehicles in which a wheelchair can be placed as they cannot drive themselves. Others may just need a specialist seat or a swivel seat.

We all talk a great deal about employability for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, if they cannot leave their house, it is a very poor start. In rural areas of my constituency, such as Annagassan, public transport is not available for everybody. Currently, 86% of Bus Éireann’s entire passenger fleet of 680 vehicles is wheelchair accessible but its effectiveness is limited due to a lack of accessible bus stops that have the 3 m footpath width required to facilitate a wheelchair lift. A 24-hour notice period of travel is required for wheelchair users as the coaches used on accessible services require the removal of up to four seats prior to the journey along with an operational check on the wheelchair lift.

A constituent recently visited my office in Louth to complain that he was denied travel on a fully accessible bus, adding four hours to his journey and a cost of €200 as he had not booked it via the booking service. On top of this, other constituents living in rural areas email me constantly highlighting that in all of Dundalk, only one taxi is fitted for wheelchair access and when they can access this service, they are charged around €40. Transport solutions and mobility supports for those with a disability must be targeted immediately.

We are asking the Government to provide funding to finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant schemes as a matter of urgent policy; to reinstate and amend the primary medical certificate process, which currently is not fit for purpose; to address the issues relating to the eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect; to improve access to public transport for people with disabilities; to invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility and inclusion for people with a disability; and to introduce a new integrated transport scheme for people with disabilities and their carers that ensure there are flexible arrangements that meet the needs of the individual and are compliant with the Equal Status Act.

I welcome today’s motion. I thank the Regional Group for highlighting this important issue. As Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the issue of accessibility and having appropriate transport and mobility supports is raised with me frequently by people with disabilities. It is an issue on which the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I are focused.

There is a complexity to the transport issue, which I acknowledge at the very outset of our discussions today. Policies, services and supports have changed radically since the likes of both the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme and the now-closed mobility allowance and motorised transport grant were first adopted in the 1960s and 1970s, and especially so in Ireland since we ratified the UNCRPD in 2018.

These schemes were very much based on that old-fashioned medical model of disability. That was at a time when there was little to no accessible transport available for people with disabilities, let alone the more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the human rights of persons with disabilities we now have. We both absolutely acknowledge that there is still significant work to be done to develop adequate joined-up transport and mobility supports. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the progress achieved since the Commission on the Stratus of Disabilities delivered its landmark report entitled A Strategy for Equality in 1996. That progress has been advanced through the Disability Act 2005 and various successive national disability policy frameworks since then.

To look at some of the positive actions that have been taken in the area of transport, there is ongoing work to make public transport increasingly accessible, which is being led by the Minister for Transport in partnership with the National Transport Authority. Examples include upgrading older infrastructure to make it fully accessible; working to develop soft types of supports that enable disabled people to travel independently on public transport, a few examples of which Deputy Lowry referred to; and linking public transport in rural areas with existing HSE services.

The disability entitlement to the free travel scheme administered by the Minister for Social Protection has been recently reviewed and the criteria are now more open. For example, a person aged under 66 may qualify for the travel pass if he or she is in receipt of the disability allowance, blind pension or invalidity pension. Moreover, a companion free travel card entitles the holder to have any one person aged 16 years or over accompany him or her free of charge when travelling. This is designed for people who, on account of their particular disability, are unable to travel alone.

Furthermore, the carer of a person with a disability may also qualify for a free travel pass in their own right if they are in receipt of carer's allowance or if they are a specified carer for a person getting a constant attendance allowance or a prescribed relative allowance. We have the proposals and recommendations from the transport working group, which the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, chaired last year, and these proposals provide valuable suggestions for a strong vision for enhanced and joined-up transport and mobility supports, going forward, and suggested ways in which that vision can be achieved.

Notwithstanding these positive initiatives, it is clear there is more work to do, particularly in the area of personal and community transport supports. The Ombudsman's reports and the work of the transport working group clearly and rightly indicate that we have much more to do to develop joined-up and adequate transport supports for people with disabilities across Ireland. There are no easy solutions to the issues raised in the motion today. One of the clear findings of the transport working group report was the need for whole-of-government action on this issue. I am committed to working with my colleagues across government, and with people with disabilities and their representative organisations, to continue to address the barriers and challenges faced by people with disabilities in the course of seeking to live independently.

Apart from now holding responsibility for specialised community-based disability services which support some 80,000 people with disabilities on a daily basis, my Department serves as the national focal point and co-ordination mechanism under the UNCRPD. In that regard, it is responsible for co-ordinating action across government on a range of issues including transport. The work of the transport working group reflected this function in seeking to bring together those Departments and agencies with responsibility for transport policy and transport schemes. That work will continue to be advanced in the cross-government development of the new national disability strategy, which my Department is working intensively on following the conclusion of the previous disability inclusion strategy. It is, therefore, a timely opportunity in the development of the new strategy for the required level and scale of collaboration across government on many issues of concern to people with disabilities, including issues related to transport and mobility.

With the transfer of specialist and community-based disability services now achieved, a clear focus of my Department's work this year will be to collaborate with other Departments and agencies in order to identify sectoral leadership across government on a range of issues required for further realisation of the UNCRPD. This is necessary in order to ensure that new measures and the joining-up of transport and mobility supports are appropriately co-ordinated and grounded in a mainstream-first approach. The mainstream-first approach was first recommended by the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities in 1996. It is embedded in the 2005 legislation and stems from the UNCRPD. As such, it is not new, but we need to constantly renew our commitment to the important principle of mainstream first to address many of the complex issues the Deputies have raised in their motion today. No single Department or agency can provide all of the required services that address the needs of the over 600,000 people with disabilities whose daily lives are and should be as diverse as each individual person.

In developing the new national disability strategy, we will make challenging decisions around priorities and actions to be undertaken. This was a clear learning from the national disability inclusion strategy and was shared by many of its stakeholders.

There will always be competing priorities to balance in the disability policy landscape. A robust evidence base and extensive stakeholder consultation is needed to inform priorities pursued under the new national disability strategy, and to ensure that disabled people and their representative organisations have a role in shaping those priorities.

Following the mainstream-first approach, it will be incumbent on all Departments and agencies with transport and mobility-related responsibilities to ensure they discharge their functions, duties and responsibilities in a way that promotes equality and is inclusive of all people, including those with a disability. Moreover, we need to ensure that the next steps we take as a Government are part of a coherent overall policy approach with clear sectoral leadership. I recognise there is an urgency to the work required. As such, a considered approach to next steps and to the identification of sectoral leadership to advance a co-ordinated mainstream-first approach will without question result in better transport and mobility outcomes for people with disabilities in the long term.

Over the coming months and through the development of the new national disability strategy, I will be calling on all Departments and agencies with a role in this area to consider the proposals and recommendations of the transport working group in order to identify sectoral leaders on key issues and to develop the evidence base we need to make informed choices in an explicitly mainstream-first approach. I will be asking my colleagues in government to consider existing schemes and how they can be amended or better co-ordinated, as I will be considering similar issues within my own Department's remit.

The challenge in creating a scheme that is broad enough to support people with disabilities on a needs-based model, and is also sustainable from the perspective of long-term Exchequer financing, will require careful consideration and will require time to work through so that appropriate decisions, based on the real needs of people with disabilities, can be made. That is why I welcome today’s motion and the opportunity to update the House on work being conducted within my Department. As part of that discussion, we must also recognise the work required to deliver on the calls made by the Regional Independent Group, including the need for mature collaboration across government. There is a real and clear opportunity to address the issues that are being raised today as part of the development process for a new national disability strategy this year. I look forward to working with my colleagues across government, and indeed with Deputies here today, many of whom have spoken at length about the issue in the past. I look forward to working with Deputies to deliver a strategy that is ambitious, embraces the core principle of mainstreaming and delivers results for persons with disabilities.

At the outset, I pay tribute to a man from my own county of Galway, Finian McGrath, former Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues. He has spent a lifetime championing the cause of people with disabilities. He was a driving force behind this House ratifying the UNCRPD in 2018. That convention states that people with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else. It also states that countries signing up to it have an onus to provide equal access to transportation. Unfortunately, despite the ratification, people with disabilities are still fighting for these rights in many areas, including access to transport.

The 2016 census recorded more than 640,000 people with a disability in Ireland. That is more than one in eight of our population. More than one third of them are under the age of 45 and two thirds are under the age of 65. They are entitled to live full and active lives within our communities. Without access to personal transport, thousands of Irish citizens cannot do what the rest of us take for granted, such as going to work, visiting family and friends, going shopping, going to the cinema or to church, or even to the pub for a pint. A 2021 report by the Ombudsman highlighted the social isolation suffered by people with disabilities and pointed to the fact that Ireland has one of the lowest rates of employment in the world among people with disabilities as a result of being unable to access transport.

It is now ten years since the then Government scrapped the two grants that enabled people with a severe disability who cannot walk to hire transport or get specially adapted cars. These schemes made an enormous difference to the thousands of people throughout the country who cannot physically drive a car themselves and could not access public transport. In fairness, the closing of the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant scheme to new applicants was a fallout from a legal challenge. However, successive Governments have since promised to bring in a replacement scheme to subsidise the cost of transport, such as taxis, for those unable to access public transport. After 2013, a new Bill was included in every Government legislative programme for many years. This proposed health (transport support) Bill even got elevated to the status of priority legislation at one stage but was simply dropped and has not been seen since. As a result, many thousands of people are prisoners in their own homes, and are condemned to look at the four walls around them every day with little prospect of their situation improving if they cannot get out and about. For many of them, it is a catch-22 situation. They cannot get out of their homes without incurring the considerable expense of hiring a taxi, which is all the greater if they live in a rural area. However, because they are also not in a position to earn a wage, it is money they simply do not have to spend. In many cases, they do not have family members or friends to call on to bring them where they want to go. They are stripped of their independence and their quality of life is seriously reduced as a result. We simply cannot allow this situation to continue in our country in this day and age. These are the most vulnerable people in our society and we are letting them down.

The current coalition's programme for Government undertook to empower those with a disability and give them the ability to choose the supports that meet most of their needs.

Fine words, but we need to see clear action, such as reintroducing a scheme that would make a real difference by helping people get out of their homes and play a part in the communities where they live.

To paraphrase the Ombudsman’s report that I mentioned earlier, living with a disability in Ireland in 2023 should never mean that a person is grounded in their home and is unable to participate equally and to actively in their community and in work.

I thank my colleagues in the Regional Group for bringing this motion forward and also Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, our party administrator, for the excellent work she did in putting this motion together.

I am glad again to get the opportunity again to speak to the Minister on the issues in the disability sector and to follow up on the motion the Regional Group Members have brought to him, which he referred to earlier.

The motion is about the access to public and private transport for people with disabilities and their carers. It is based, as the Minister highlighted, on the UNCRPD, which Ireland has signed up to. That was to provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and to participate fully.

"Disability" is a very wide term which we use a great deal and it covers many areas, including medical and clinical issues. It is also related to an ageing population. Some people may be challenged from birth and others later on through illness or accidents, which can be life-transforming accidents or injuries which changes their situation. Unfortunately, this can put people into the category of people living with disability.

The first thing that needs to be recognised is that the first aspiration nearly all people with disability and physical disability have is to be able to live as independently as possible, to be able to access work, to be able to move within their communities and to have some mastery and independence over their lives. That is what they all wish for and it is what we also wish for them. Safe travel, in the first instance, is a fundamental right and requirement for people with a disability. This can be either through their own private transport or public transport but, sadly, the options are limited. That is what we are here today to discuss.

In the private transport sector, as the Minister knows, people with a disability used to be able to secure a mobility allowance. We need to see that reinstated for them.

We often speak of disability in society but do those of us who are able-bodied really know what we are talking about when we mention it? If someone is blind, as Deputy Lowry said, or hearing impaired, or if he or she has speech impediments; these are significant disadvantages. If a physical inability is added on top of that, these lead to very profound challenges that people face in life. The need is for people to be able to participate in work and to be able to meet and communicate. These are the most basic of human needs. If people are not able to do that, it brings very significant mental challenges.

I commend some of the Ministers, and I believe the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, where earlier this year some of our frontbench colleagues were using a wheelchair in the Chamber for a day to try to understand what life for a person living in a wheelchair is like. That is a very good initiative to give perspective.

One of the things that is not well understood in respect of disabilities is costs. As the Minister knows, a report was engaged upon, which shows that up to €9,000 could be the cost to a person who ends up being disabled or tries to access disability infrastructure.

I would like to point out a disabled person in my own area of Waterford who ended up in a wheelchair. They wanted to have a hoist put into their house. They were waiting almost two years to have it looked at and approved. It finally went ahead because somebody else was buying a hoist that was approved. They put it in their house and subsequently it took nearly two years for these people to get the grant back for that. This is the kind of regulation which was making it very difficult on people.

The same applies sometimes to wheelchairs. The Minister is probably aware again where people are making applications for grants for wheelchairs. They cannot buy anything in advance and when they do so because they are needed, oftentimes they find it difficult to get recompensed. We have to do something with that.

In respect of managing equality for people with disabilities accessing transport, in my own city of Waterford, quite a number of people have taken up disabled taxi licences, which is a great help. The access to Local Link services, particularly when getting out into the rural areas, is very difficult. We need to think about how people can get back to having a disabled driving scheme so that they can access their own private transport.

The replacement of the mobility allowance together with reinstating and amending the primary medical certificate are some measures we call for in this motion. We also call for the reintroduction of a cash allowance that will allow people with disabilities to engage some private transport where they have need.

We also need further public information on how society can manage disability better. I point out to the Minister the idea of changing rooms and showering rooms. There are very few of those in the country. For instance, in my county, Tramore is very frequently visited. We do not have as good a wheelchair scheme as there is in County Wexford and we are trying to implement that. One of the things we do not have is a showering room. If people have been in a wheelchair for a long period after a drive, or some such journey, oftentimes they have incontinence accidents and there is no way of providing services for them. They cannot be brought into hotels, or such accommodation, as the services are often not there. We need to have some kind of initiative around the country to provide a number of these facilities in high amenity areas.

Another issue I want to highlight is dog fouling. It is a particular problem for wheelchair users and we need to have a better understanding of how we raise and enforce fines for dog fouling. It is disgusting that people who are forced to get around in a wheelchair also have to deal with dog fouling, bringing this into their houses, and all of the rest of it. It is totally unacceptable and we need a public information campaign on that.

We need to get much more serious about tackling disability. We have to talk much more about the challenges and I am glad the Minister outlined some of the further integration he will look at with Members. We welcome that and will certainly participate as wholesomely as possible.

I commend the Regional Group on raising this important matter. It is an issue that is discussed regularly at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters and at practically every meeting with disabled people that I attend.

It is estimated that by 2026, disabled people will account for 16% of the population and it is crucial that this cohort of society has access to transport supports. People with disabilities should be able to live full and active lives within their communities but many obstacles remain that work to prevent them doing so, and access to transport supports is one of them.

Improving access to public transport is important in its own right but is it unreasonable to suggest that someone should address the transport needs of many disabled people who live in rural areas or struggle to get to bus stops or to stations? Without access to personal transport supports, many disabled people cannot do what others take for granted, including working, visiting family and friends, shopping or any other aspect of life where mobility is essential.

Up until 2013, the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant were in place to support disabled people with their transport needs. The mobility allowance supported transport costs for individuals who were unable to walk or to use public transport and who satisfied a means test. The motorised transport grant was a means-tested payment for disabled people who needed to buy a car to retain employment.

The 2021 Ombudsman’s report, Grounded: Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes, focused attention on the fact that these transport supports for people with disabilities were inadequate, unfair and inequitable under the Equal Status Act. The report spelt out that in 2013, the Government decided to discontinue both the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant to the applicants. At the time, the then Government committed to developing an alternative scheme but we are ten years on and no alternative scheme has been put in place.

Considering the need for some disabled people to use private transport, especially in rural areas, the closure of the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant has significantly impacted these people’s ability to participate fully in daily life. This has precluded them from accessing education, as well as from participating in their communities, socialising and accessing healthcare.

Considering the additional transport costs disabled people face, which were highlighted in the Indecon: The Cost of Disability in Ireland report, it is essential that these schemes be replaced with a 21st century fit-for-purpose scheme that alleviates these costs and enables disabled people to fully participate in society and that complies with the Equal Status Act. The Ombudsman's report also pointed out that the only remaining transport support available for disabled people is the disabled driver and passenger scheme. The scheme provides a range of tax reliefs linked to the purchase and use of a specially constructed or adapted vehicle by drivers and passengers with a disability. The report, however, goes on to highlight that the scheme is inadequate to meet the needs of many people living with a disability as the medical criteria for eligibility are excessively restrictive.

They are so restrictive, in fact, that the entire membership of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal resigned in November 2021 after expressing concern over how this was being handled. Amid ongoing concerns, it is too difficult to obtain a primary medical certificate. I am not surprised. Out of 401 appeals assessed in 2017, only 12 were successful. In 2018, there were 20 successful appeals out of a total of 386. In 2019, nine were successful out of 424, and in 2020 four were successful out of 116. Members of the previous appeals board indicated that unless you had a progressive condition, your appeal would not be successful. Therefore, unless your condition had worsened significantly since your first assessment for a primary medical certificate, you were not successful. That criterion did not apply to many people.

The resignation of the board has led to a large backlog of appeals. As of 31 December 2022, according to a reply I recently received to a parliamentary question, 759 people had been waiting for an appeal hearing. Replacing the board has taken a long time. Only recently, after two expressions-of-interest campaigns, was a sufficient number of suitable candidates found and put through Garda vetting. Unfortunately for those awaiting their appeal, however, it seems further delays will be inevitable as it has recently been brought to my attention that the National Rehabilitation Hospital has indicated it wishes to cease its involvement with the scheme. Considering that the hospital's facilities and secretarial service are integral to the operation of the appeals board, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, has said, in response to a parliamentary question of mine, that it may take time to put in place feasible and appropriate alternative arrangements to enable the appeals process to recommence. In the meantime, more and more disabled people whose applications for a primary medical certificate have been turned down will join the growing waiting list to have an appeal heard and will be unable to access the scheme.

It has been acknowledged by the Department of Finance, which currently administers the scheme, that the scheme is no longer fit for purpose, even when fully up and running, and does not meet the needs of a significant group of those with a disability and mobility impairment. It is significantly divergent from best practice internationally and does not and will never operate to the standard expected of a 21st-century operational model. While this acknowledgement is welcome, what is needed now is action in putting in place a new scheme – one that will provide vehicle adaptions based on the needs of the disabled person and not on the basis of restrictive medical criteria.

These matters have been raised repeatedly with the Government. People with disabilities are paying the price for the lack of leadership. They are being denied their right under the UNCRPD to live full, independent and inclusive lives. The convention, ratified by the Government in March 2018, sets out under Article 9 that accessibility is a precondition if persons with disabilities are to live independently and participate fully and equally in society. However, when ratifying the convention, the Government chose not to ratify the optional protocol, which would have enabled people with a disability to make complaints to the UN about potential rights violations. A member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, when speaking at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters about the Government not ratifying the optional protocol, suggested Ireland is not confident or comfortable enough to open itself up to international scrutiny. This is having a major impact on the personal lives of disabled people. It is blocking their path to living independently, socialising and working.

I do not believe there is any sense of urgency in addressing the matter of transport supports for disabled people. The transport working group, established in 2020, only recently finalised its report for the Minister on proposals for the development and co-ordination of advanced transport and mobility support options for persons with disabilities. It is shameful that, in 2023, disabled people are still not able to participate equally and actively in their communities and work. What is now needed from the Government is action on putting in place a new 21st-century, fit-for-purpose scheme that alleviates transport costs that people with disabilities face, results in vehicle adaptions based on their needs and not based on restrictive medical criteria, and that complies with the provisions of the Equal Status Act. This needs to happen if we are to enable disabled people to participate in society fully.

Once again, I commend the Regional Group on raising this important matter. My colleagues in Sinn Féin and I will be supporting the motion. I urge all other Deputies, including those in the Government benches, to support it also.

I commend the Regional Group on introducing this motion. It is now ten years since the mobility grant was taken away. Successive Governments have continued to promise that it will be replaced and that something would be done, but nothing has happened. I welcome the Minister's reference to ambition to deliver on this, but unfortunately ambition has been very lacking among his predecessors. I hope he will be able to deliver on this in his term because many are desperate to have their needs assessed and dealt with appropriately.

The disability sector seems to be a forgotten one and has been left behind for far too long. Some years ago, I went to Ballyshannon and met a wheelchair user, Ms Vicky Matthews, and spent half a day going around with her to see what it was like to manage, given the terrible condition of many of the streets. I believe Newstalk organised it. At the time, Ms Matthews was starting a course in what was then Sligo IT, now Atlantic Technological University Sligo. Getting a bus there and back was the big problem. There was no wheelchair-accessible bus from Balllyshannon to Sligo at any time, never mind an appropriate time, to allow her to attend college. This was eventually resolved after much lobbying and work but it is an example of the circumstances so many people with disabilities in this State face that we need to deal with urgently.

As many Members will know, my personal assistant in Leinster House, Jess, has a visual impairment. She often tells me that, when travelling to and from work, she, like so many others, faces issues with buses and other forms of transportation. She is an example of someone who lives life to the full and her disability certainly does not impede her ability to deliver in her job. That is the case for the majority with a disability but who simply need a little help to deliver to their full potential. As a society, we have a responsibility to ensure we give such people a little help so they can deliver to their full potential and be full and active participants in society.

This motion is on the motorised transport grant and all the associated issues. We need a commitment to deliver in this regard. There are major issues with public transport. It is not wheelchair accessible or in any way friendly for people who have access difficulties. The Government has been making commitments for so long but so little has been delivered. I hope the Minister and Minister of State will do their best, and I have faith in them, but perhaps there is a Sir Humphrey lurking in the background ensuring this will not happen. If there is, he needs to be given the gate because we need to deliver for people.

I, too, thank the Regional Group for introducing this important motion. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on it. I am glad to be able to speak up for the great people in the constituency of Kildare North who are living with physical and intellectual disabilities and face barriers in their lives due to transport constraints. I am thinking of those debilitated by neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. For the past few years, I have been dealing with a man who lives in rural north Kildare. He is a lovely, elderly gentleman who is caring for his wife. The couple's drive in the car was one of their special times together to make memories. The man is heartbroken as he cannot manoeuvre his wife into the car anymore; it is just impossible. She is able to walk but just cannot take the instructions to get into the car because of her neurovascular disease. The man needs to modify his car as a consequence. I have been dealing with this lovely man for a few years now. He was really hoping to get the grant to modify his car so he could take his wife out. He said to me that she had looked after him all his life and that it was now his turn to look after her. The tears were rolling down his face when he said this because it meant so much to him to be able to bring his wife for a drive or to the shops or beach while listening to Kildare matches on the radio on a Sunday afternoon. He just cannot get his wife into the car. He and people like him must be able to get financial help to convert their cars for easy access. With the summer coming in, it is important that people have the opportunity to go on a Sunday drive. For many older people, this is their treat for the week. These moments really make a huge difference to people with a disability. The man told me that when he was able to take his wife out in the car, he did not feel she had Alzheimer's disease anymore.

It is estimated that by 2026, 16% of us will be classified as having a disability and, therefore, I hope this motivates the Government to improve access even if self-interest is the only way. This is why we must be concerned about the primary medical certificate and equal access because at the moment, it leaves a lot to be desired. The Ombudsman has highlighted how eligibility is extremely limited and restrictive. We have to find a way to include people. That would be great. Human rights are human rights. I used to work with people with disabilities. I always feel that they are treated as though they are getting a favour. That is not the case. We need to work so that we are all on a level playing field.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 174 together.

I would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:

Enabling children with special educational needs (SEN) to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.

It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

For 2023, the spend by my department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my department will spend over €2.6 billion providing supports to children and young people with special educational needs and their schools.

This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the department’s total allocation for 2023.

This includes funding to support children with SEN in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers and special needs assistants.

The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with SEN nationwide.

My department is engaging intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places for the next school year 2023/2024. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class and special school places, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements, consideration of school accommodation capacity and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.

If the recent growth in the need for special classes continues, it is expected that a similar level of new special classes will be needed at primary level over the next three years as have been provided over the last three years. At post-primary level however, it is expected that we will need to double the number of new special classes being provided over the next three years as compared to the last three years.

Both Minister Foley and I recently announced that 2 new special schools are being established for the 2023/2024 school year - one in Carrigtwohill, east Cork and one in the Dublin 7 area - with additional capacity also being provided in 11 other special schools.

The new special school in Dublin will be under the patronage of City of Dublin ETB. It is intended that places in the new special schools will be prioritised for children who have no offer of a special school place for the 2023/24 school year. Details in relation to the location of the new special schools, the admission process and the number of places to be offered for 2023/24 in each new special school will be confirmed very shortly.

For the 2023/2024 school year the NCSE has also sanctioned 218 new special classes nationwide at primary and post-primary level. Of these new classes, 29 are in within the Dublin area. These new classes will bring the total number of special classes in Dublin to 494, 376 at primary and 118 at post-primary. Additional special classes will be sanctioned in the coming weeks.

Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes are available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

In relation to the student referred to by the Deputy, the NCSE has advised my department that they have been engaging with potentially suitable special schools in the area and have also discussed the option of a post-primary school with a special class with the family.

I can reassure the Deputy that the local SENO will continue to provide assistance and support to the family to secure an appropriate placement.

My department is committed, in conjunction with the NCSE, to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.

We dealt with many issues whether we are talking about disability across the board or housing. In fairness to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, she has been looking for workarounds but that is half the problem. What we need are solutions. It has already been said that we have needed to deal with the discontinuation of the mobility allowance and the various transport schemes for a long time. We know there are people who really need these sort of supports but cannot get them. I will detail one case involving an email sent to me and someone who spoke to me.

I am a family friend / personal assistant for young lady tracey XXXX tracey has been several years on the scheme as passenger. Tracey has a primary medical cert and has been on the scheme years she has a car exempt under her father's name David Lee who unfortunately passed away in December 2022.

Tracey's mother is in her 70's and doesn't drive. For the last 6 years, I have been Tracey's driver for medical appointments as her father only drove a short distance and Tracey herself has several medical appointments in Dublin due to her cerebral palsy / spina bifida.

Tracey's car is a Peugeot expert independence that is already exempt. The issue is Tracey cannot avail of the scheme now since her father passed away the log book of the car needs to be in the person's name availing of the scheme. If it put in Tracey's name she cannot get her vehicle insured as she doesn't drive or I cannot insure it as that way I'm not legally on the log book. If the car is in my name because I'm not legally a relative of Tracey, I cannot avail of the scheme as it states it needs to be a family member. I have been driving Tracey nearly 75 percent of the time in the last 5-6 years.

Tracey always maintained, insured and put fuel into the vehicle. It's her car but just as a driver to the van, I have been denied insurance if the vehicle is in Tracey's name.

I do not need to continue because the point is fairly explicit in the sense that once again, we are looking for a workaround. We need to create schemes, facilities and a framework that will allow people to be all they can be to make sure they can live their lives as best they can and can go to the necessary medical appointments and other requirements and far beyond. We are affecting people's lives in a detrimental way. I assume everybody in this Chamber does not want this to be the case so we need to get our heads together and ensure there is some form of streamlining and that we give citizens the rights they deserve. I will be back regarding this issue.

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 4,500 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.

The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

Bus Eireann has advised this pupils service resumed operating from 25/04/2023.

The primary medical certificate process needs complete reform. What will it take for the Government to act?

Disabled people are being excluded every day because of a lack of suitable transport. We need more public transport routes that run more frequently, at weekends and in the evenings. Being able to get to work or socialise should not be the privilege of those who are able to drive or who can afford a car. The mobility allowance and motorised transport grant need to be replaced immediately. The primary medical certificate process must be changed. The most frustrating and shameful thing about all these issues is that they are all Government decisions. The Government can change these and make huge, positive differences to so many people’s lives. Why is the Government not acting?

I welcome this motion from the Regional Group. It is a very important issue for us to be talking about. We cannot understate the importance of transport for those with a disability. If people do not have easy access to transport, it essentially keeps them prisoners in their own homes. They cannot get out to meet friends, socialise, work or go to education. It has wide-ranging impacts.

I want to use my time to give an example of someone in my constituency of Wicklow who is finding it very difficult to access transport to attend his day service. He has a place in a day service. He lives in Knockananna, which is a rural part of Wicklow. However, because he cannot get there and because there is no public transport to get him there, he has not been able to access the day service that was provided for him. It is completely unacceptable that this man is essentially isolated at home. On 14 June it will have been a year since he has been able to attend his day service. The reality is that he needs access to that service. Instead of being able to access it because there is no public transport, he actually had to go into respite care for a week because he needed a break from home and he needed a change of scenery. That is just not a sustainable or proper way to run the service. As well as that, it is not meeting that man's needs. He is now considering giving up his place in his day service because he is conscious that there are other people who need that place. He feels as though he is holding it up because he cannot actually use it.

I would appreciate it if I could send the Minister of State his details. He has been in contact with the HSE about this. He has been in contact with various Ministers. Unfortunately, he has been told that he cannot get a taxi, that the funds are gone and there are no funds available to him. I will send his details to the Minister of State and I ask that she give this issue some attention. It just does not make sense in this day and age for this man to be locked at home and unable to get to his day service.

No, it does not.

In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018.

It is appreciated that practical difficulties can arise where family circumstances vary and differ, however, the Department's approach to the issue of the rights of separated parents to involvement in their children's education is that the rights of both parents should be respected. A qualification to that approach would arise where the best interest of the child required a different approach.

Schools must exercise their own judgment in implementing their enrolment policies and what is appropriate in each individual case, while respecting any order made by the Court in relation to the custody and welfare of the child which is known to or made known to the school.

I thank the Regional Group for tabling this important motion. I note that it is the second time they have tabled this motion, which indicates the failure of the Government to respond fully and adequately to the critical issue of equality for people with disabilities when it comes to transport. The equality to live independently, to participate fully in all aspects of life and to be provided with the transport necessary, are rights for people with disabilities. These rights are not currently being vindicated.

The proposals in this motion are to develop a plan across Departments; to introduce a new integrated transport scheme for people with disabilities; to provide funding to introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme; to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant, which has been promised for over a decade; to reinstate and amend the primary medical certificate process; to reintroduce the payment of a cash allowance, like the mobility allowance; and to invest in transport infrastructure to support accessibility, mobility and inclusion for people with a disability. I want to agree with all those proposals and highlight a couple of them.

Whenever I speak about these issues, I first always want to pay tribute to the Access for All group, which includes Bernard Mulvany and his daughter, Sophia, who is a wheelchair user, and Sean O'Kelly, who is also a wheelchair user. They have been campaigning particularly around the access to the DART and about the fact that the lifts never work. They have difficulty with having any ability to plan to go anywhere because they do not know if the lifts are going to work. Because of their campaigning, there is now some new carriage stock on the DART. While they say this is a good improvement, they point out that on inter-city rail services that is not the case and there is still old stock that is not suitable. For inter-city bus and rail, people with mobility issues and wheelchair users have to give 24 or 48 hours' notice in order to go somewhere. They therefore do not have the same equality as we do simply to go to another part of the country if they wish to. I want to stress those issues. Also, only one wheelchair user can use a Dublin Bus at any given time. There is not enough accommodation for more than one wheelchair user, which is completely unacceptable. I want the Minister to address those issues.

The other group I want to shout-out for, as I have done many times, is Accessible Community Transport Southside Ltd. There was a situation not so long ago and the Minister of State may remember it. This is a not-for-profit, essentially voluntary organisation that was set up to provide door-to-door minibus services to people who cannot access the mainstream public transport system because of their wheelchairs or particular mobility issues. This service is critical for them to access services, have a social life and go anywhere. They were fighting for their lives as a service. They believed they were going to close down for the want of €50,000 to replace three of their four buses because they did not have the money to do that. Also, their ability to raise money through charity had been severely curtailed by Covid-19. They did not get the support they needed from the Government and, eventually, it was a local entrepreneur who stepped in and gave them the money to buy the buses and keep them afloat. They raise the question of why on earth the Department of Transport is not linked to all of this to provide an integrated transport service. Where is the Minister for Transport, Deputy Éamon Ryan? Where is the Department of Transport's service? They are the ones responsible for providing public transport. The irony is that their service is advertised on Transport for Ireland, even though no funding is provided by the Department of Transport. It is absolutely shocking and something needs to be done about it.

I too want to welcome the spirit of this motion. We have discussed this issue on many occasions and it is extremely important. Independent living for those who are living with a disability is a fundamental civil right. This includes the right to work, the right to travel and the right to live.

In the past, the situation for those who were living with disabilities was one of exclusion, marginalisation and stigmatisation. That happened in the past. While we have gladly moved on, there is such a long way to go in relation to disability rights in Ireland. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, was very welcome, but the optional protocol is still a vital part of disability rights.

An issue that is very important is accessibility of transport for those who have a disability. As Deputy Boyd Barrett has said, the Access For All campaign has been really good in highlighting the issues that able-bodied people take for granted. There is the very simple issue of lifts in train stations that just do not work. While we can go down the stairs, that is just not possible for those who are in a wheelchair. If a lift does not work, then a person cannot access the train. Can you imagine how demoralising that feels for somebody who is in a wheelchair? It is really demoralising. That should not be the way.

Thankfully, Irish Rail has tried to address some of these issues where lifts should be working. They are the basics. Even accessing trains and buses is quite difficult. You have to give prior warning and so forth. If you want to travel on the Dublin Express to Dublin Airport, you have to give 48 hours' notice. You have to give 24 hours' notice for the inter-county buses. You have to plan your day and make your travel plans. Nobody's life should be subject to availability. These things should become as normal as possible for those who are in this situation.

It is important the Government listens to those who are campaigning when it comes from the heart and from real-life experience.

The motion sets out a number of issues, including the fact the primary medical certificate needs to be reformed in a big way. It is very arbitrary and completely outdated and it needs to be reformed in a big way. Many people have contacted my office about it and they are extremely frustrated about how it works. It needs to be updated, revised and reformed in order that people who need access to that form of funding can get it.

I am sharing time. I fully support the motion and, in particular, the call to introduce an integrated transport system for people with disabilities and their carers, a scheme that would ensure flexible arrangements, the provision of funding and a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant as a priority. In my constituency, there are a lot of problems with the primary medical certificate. The criteria are one thing, but the delays in decisions being reached are a huge issue that needs to be addressed urgently to be fair to people with disabilities. To create a truly inclusive society, we must make sure all systems and decisions are fair, helpful and assistive of people who need help.

This issue has been ongoing for way too long, and each time questions are asked, the Government deflects or points to existing services. In a reply to a parliamentary question I submitted recently, I was told the cost of disability study commissioned by the then Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection as part of budget 2019 was to inform policy direction to meet the needs of people with disabilities, including transport costs. That related to budget 2019, so where is the action? In the reply I received, the Minister of State informed me also that the free travel scheme, operated by the Department of Social Protection, and CLÁR funding were assisting with transport for people with significant mobility issues. This is a joke, however, because it assumes many rural areas have adequate transport links, but they do not. Irrespective of whether you are able-bodied or disabled, it matters if there are no buses or trains to transport you. As the motion notes, the Ombudsman report, entitled Grounded: Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes, highlights the years of inaction by the Government to address the lack of supports for people with disabilities. It is absurd and reprehensible that disabled people are left waiting for so long before the action they so badly need is brought about.

I thank the Regional Group for putting forward this important motion. Disabled citizens are being let down by the Government, which has shown a shocking lack of political will to prioritise their needs. It has been ten years since the discontinuation of the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant for new applicants in 2013 and the Government has yet to provide a fair and equitable replacement. Moreover, it has been six years since the previous Government committed to reviewing all transport and mobility schemes for people with disabilities, yet no progress has been made on improving options for transport to work or employment supports for people with disabilities.

The Minister of State has yet again initiated a departmental group to examine transport issues, as though we do not know enough about them. This is only whitewashing, paying lip service and creating confusion. The lack of support is a grave violation of the fundamental human rights of people with disabilities. Access to transport on a basis equal to that of others is a right recognised as an international human right. It is pretty basic and we should all adhere to it. It is unacceptable that disabled citizens, especially those in rural areas, as Deputy Nolan mentioned, continue to face immense difficulties in accessing public transport. We do not have it in most cases, and where we do, we have to give a day's notice, or in some cases two, and it is not good enough, while the Government fails to provide a personal transport scheme that meets these people’s needs.

It is illogical that children can be provided with transport to their education facilities, which we welcome and support, but as soon as they arrive at the age of 18, they are abandoned and left in limbo, with the family left to fend for themselves in whatever way they can. This is totally unacceptable. It is scandalous. Parents of young adults with disabilities have enough to worry about, such as where the young person is going to attend a day service, without having to worry about how they will even get there. As we know, they worry also about what will happen when they themselves get old and who will look after their loved one.

The measure of society is how we treat our most vulnerable, and this is yet another example of how our State is failing our disabled citizens. I call on the Government to take immediate action to implement a fair and adequate transport scheme that will ensure equality, accessibility and inclusion for disabled citizens in all sectors of society. Many Deputies mentioned the primary medical certificate. The issues with getting it and applicants being rejected for the silliest of reasons are not acceptable. The difficulty of even able-bodied people in rural Ireland getting transport is a huge issue, not to mention how it is for people with disabilities. It is not acceptable.

Another interdepartmental report into this, gathering dust in some office, is not the answer. It is frustrating and disingenuous. We have targets we are duty bound to meet, of 6% of the public sector comprising people with disabilities by 2025, yet we are barely meeting our current target, as Deputy Kelly and others mentioned, of 3%. How are we going to jump to 6%? Clearly, we are not going to. We are more worried about gimmicks, schemes and all kinds of greening and conning our communities than we are about dealing with the needs of people with disabilities. The Minister of State is privileged to be in charge of disability matters. Surely she will do something to bring back, in particular, the motorised transport grant. There may have been glitches and we were all involved in assisting people in that regard, but at least it was available. That no new applicants have been able to join the scheme since 2013 is abject and utter discrimination. It is unimaginable that a state could do that.

Everything is a matter of scale. The Ceann Comhairle met the opposition candidate from Belarus yesterday. Appalling tragedies are going on in that country. She received the Tipperary Peace Award, which I accept. Her husband is a political prisoner. Nevertheless, we have our own problems here. We have had freedom for 100 years, yet we are not treating our people fairly. While we must support all those groups and people who are being persecuted, disabled people and their families are being persecuted in a different way because they have to fight every inch of the way, every hour of the day. The big worry for parents and guardians, as they get on in years, is who will advocate for their children in adulthood. It is an appalling vista.

I thank the Regional Group for putting forward the motion and giving me an opportunity to speak on this important issue. I fully support it, not least its calls for the Department to develop a plan, in consultation with people with disabilities, disabled persons’ organisations and disability service providers, that will provide equitable access to transport for those with disabilities.

Article 9 of the UNCRPD, on accessibility, insists that member states "enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications ...". Ireland has an embarrassing, and frankly dangerous, track record when it comes to breaches of human rights. While our disabilities and our needs are not static and are not standardised, our rights are. Our approach to disability must be rooted in a human rights approach. This includes recognising the independence and autonomy that transport provides in allowing disabled people to live fully as vital members of our community.

According to the 2016 census, Ireland's population is changing. At that point, our disabled community made up 13.5% of the population, a number that has increased and is likely to continue to do so. Our elderly population has also increased to 13.4% of the total population, which is an increase of 19%. What this tells us is that universal and accessible design and spaces are not only inclusive and rights based, but are also vastly practical and necessary for a large and growing number of our population.

I welcome the recent advancements in accessible DART trains. However, they must be rolled out quicker and across all train lines. In the interim, Irish Rail must ensure staff are available at stations to support people with physical disabilities and ensure lifts are working, which is vitally important, and that ramps are available. Space must be allocated on trains for people with physical disabilities. Currently, even with the ridiculous 24-hour notice requirement, many wheelchair users have reported that space is unavailable on the train and stations are unmanned with lift facilities perpetually out of order. This is not good enough. Funding is needed to ensure a fully-wheelchair accessible rail service that provides for freely-available ramp systems and on-hand staff support to guarantee access to trains and allocated wheelchair spaces. While I am pleased we are hoping to make a start in rolling out accessible trains, we also need to work immediately to ensure that the service as a whole is accessible and fit for purpose for all of us.

I call on the Government to commit funding for a nationwide network of accessible coach stops, alongside ongoing purchase of accessible coaches. I also call on the Government to ensure that all buses, including city buses, are accessible to people with disabilities beyond the current capacity of one wheelchair at any given time. The Minister of State will have to admit that the current provision is totally inadequate. In this day and age, it is depressing to be talking about this and talking about improving it.

I also believe that we should do all we can to encourage our taxi service providers to operate as accessibly as possible. Given that updating our public transport system to make it accessible will take a period of time and investment, it makes sense to facilitate private taxis in becoming accessible in the interim. We can do this by applying extra weighting to taxi operators with accessible vehicles in tender processes when awarding State contracts. In fact, people should not get a State contract unless they have an accessible taxi. That is the way it should be. We also need to manage the €1 million subsidy scheme currently awarded to taxi operators who purchase accessible vehicles through the NTA, to increase a nationwide spread of accessible taxis. We should aspire to have 30% of all taxis accessible by 2026, with a continued commitment that, by 2035, this will be universal.

I support the motion’s call for the Government to reinstate the motorised transport grant and mobility allowance to assist in covering the cost of transport. The Government withdrew the motorised transport grant and the mobility allowance with the promise they would be replaced with a new transport support scheme yet people with disabilities are still waiting. They have been waiting a long time and there is still no sign of an end to that waiting. In Donegal, for example, this is the only transport option available for many disabled people. That is a real problem. Both of these schemes are crucial to the disabled population, particularly at a time when our public transport system and infrastructure are not fully accessible. Disabled people rely on taxis, especially those who live in the many rural parts of our country such as my constituency of Donegal. The mobility allowance and motorised grant went part of the way to cover these costs or help people buy an adaptive car.

I echo the National Disability Authority, NDA, in welcoming section 2.2. of the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2025, which states that the strategy aims to ensure "A fully inclusive EV charging infrastructure network". However, research carried out by IrishEVs.com regarding EV charging availability showed that there were only four wheelchair accessible ESB electric vehicle chargers in Ireland. It is only when I started working on this today that I discovered that. I have an electric car. When I think about, surely they could be made disabled-friendly and accessible. It is shocking that in this day and age this new technology would be rolled out without any thought to that.

The NDA further notes that accessible information is one of the key criteria for universally designed services. This should be incorporated into the consultation process for EV infrastructure. While the strategy may speak of a commitment to universal design at all stages of EV infrastructure, on the website itself no alternative or accessible formats of the strategy are available. They probably need to get a new definition of "design" so that it takes into account disabled people.

Section 28 of the Disability Act 2005 outlines that public bodies should, as far as is practicable, make oral and written communication accessible when customers with impairments request them, make electronic communication accessible to customers with vision impairments who use assistive technology and make relevant information accessible to customers with intellectual disabilities. The most efficient way of ensuring this is to provide alternative formats of documentation or provide the public with a clear way of requesting alternative formats. This would be simple and inexpensive for the Government to do, yet it would make a world of difference to people with disabilities. We should focus on making this country an easy, safe and accessible place to live for our disabled population. Instead, the Government, unfortunately, has continued to create barrier after barrier for them and their families.

Transport costs add yet another extra living cost for people with disabilities, one that many are not in the position to afford. Inaccessible transport severely affects the quality of life for many with disabilities and the lack of action by the Government is disgraceful. We should invest in an inclusive transport infrastructure that does not leave people behind and that supports accessibility for our disabled population, particularly those in rural Ireland, who have very limited accessibility as it is. It is for this reason that I strongly support this motion and urge the Government to give it proper and due consideration.

Before I call the Minister of State to respond, I want to say that this is a very important motion. Every Member has demonstrated his or her utter and absolute commitment to providing high-quality services for the disabled. Deputy Rabbitte's total sincerity in her commitment those services is recognised by us all and we wish her well in what she is doing.

As the Deputy is aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school.

The Summer Works Scheme plays an important role in the maintenance and upgrade of the condition of our schools. It provides important opportunities for enhancing the facilities in a school such as upgrading science laboratories and enhancing the energy efficiency of schools through upgrade works to roofs, windows, heating systems etc.

I wish to advise that a funding investment of €65 million was provided in primary and post primary schools in 2022, to facilitate the delivery of 499 projects under the Summer Works Scheme.

My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €0.86 billion. High construction inflation remains a continuing feature of the construction sector for 2023.

As part of its planning ahead for 2023, my Department’s key priority is to continue a strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning ahead for the 2023/24 school year and beyond and also with particular regard to supporting special needs provision.

As part of this planning for 2023, my Department's officials are working on the arrangements for the next phase of the current summer works programme, and schools will be notified of the details as soon as practicable.

This tells me we are spending €212 million annually on transport for persons with a disability. The sad thing is we are still not hitting the mark. We are still leaving people behind and there is still inequality within it. I am the co-ordinator under the UNCRPD, but at the same time there is no one Department holding responsibility for the funding line and for ensuring that it is operationalised.

Last week in Leinster House, along with the Ceann Comhairle and others here, I attended a launch organised by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism and the Ceann Comhairle to make the Leinster House campus autism friendly, which I believe we all welcome. During that event, Mr. Adam Harris made the point that advancing solutions is not just having an awareness but also an understanding, which seems applicable today. This includes the understanding of the roles of Departments, the understanding of roles within the Civil Service, and the understanding of roles within the State organisations.

While the word "disability" is within my title and in the Department's name, not all disability issues fall under my remit, including the issues of transport. The Tánaiste, Deputy Martin, when he was Taoiseach, recognised that there needed to be more co-ordination across government when it comes to disability policies, which is why he sought the formation of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. However, there very much remains a role for a number of Departments to support disabled people to have access to transport. Hence, I read out the list of Departments I brought to that meeting more than one year ago. Within that year we have had our working group, the final report of which I hold here. It will not gain dust in any Department. It is now with the Department of Finance to address the inequality and address what is needed in the next steps. One Deputy had said we did not point to the next steps. It is for the Department of Finance to assist me to find the next steps.

While there are many Departments responsible, I do not want, nor does anyone here, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to be seen by other Departments and agencies as the place to fob everything to do with disability just because they see the word "disability" in my title. It is important for every Department to play an active role in disability. To follow that line of thinking would be to create mainstream services for the general population and separate special services for people who need additional supports. We cannot regress from the long-standing mainstream-first approach to disability policy. There is a real risk of this happening unless there is a clear understanding here, and across the system, that several Departments and State agencies have a pivotal role to play. This cannot be forgotten.

The Department of Transport is obviously a key player and has responsibility at a national level when it comes to making public transport more accessible, whether that is on the bus or rail network. The local authorities too have a responsibility to ensure we have active travel and smart travel, which was addressed by Deputy Lowry in his opening statement. Likewise, Revenue and the Department of Finance are central players in the disabled drivers and passengers scheme. While the medical assessment for the primary medical certificate is overseen by the Department of Health and the HSE, the financial side is implemented by Revenue. When it comes to the replacement for the mobility allowance, this is a matter for me to resolve. It is something I have been working on over recent years. Having criteria that work is important, and this is part of what I am trying to resolve with my officials.

Likewise, the HSE, whether it likes it or not, has a role to play when it comes to transport to and from day services in the same way it has a role in sorting out and supporting school leavers. Regularly come September, Deputy Canney and I see this, and I have heard others talk here today about school leavers. Deputy Whitmore spoke about a constituent who, for 12 months, has not been able to go to a day service. That is wrong. At the same time, funding is provided as part of the school leavers' package, which costs €34 million annually to support 1,700 people. Why is time and effort not made to calculate the cost of the transport? It is a basic need as part of the rehabilitative programme to be able to attend and learn the skills.

It is clear from the debate here today that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to transport issues. The transport needs of people with disabilities are as diverse as our disabled citizens are themselves. In the 2016 census, approximately one in seven people in Ireland reported living with a disability, which is roughly equivalent to the population of Connacht. People with disabilities are not an isolated group. They are part of all of our lives and all of our communities. As a Government, we recognise the benefits that developing open, accessible and joined-up transport and mobility support structures can have in meeting the complex and varied needs of people with disabilities and their families, carers, friends, colleagues and loved ones alike. That is why the concept of universal design is so powerful, an issue I raise frequently in the Chamber. Universal design for assessment, UDA, is not just a phrase. It impacts on local authorities, from the building of houses to doing the footpaths. It also impacts where the bus shelter is located so the person with a bad hip or with a wheelchair can access a bus. The colour of our buses is down to universal design so that people with a visual impairment can see them.

I am genuinely grateful for the work the Ombudsman has done to highlight the issues of transport and mobility supports. I am also grateful for the proposals and recommendations that have been advanced by the transport working group. The work and progress achieved by the transport working group under action 104 of the national disability inclusion strategy were extremely important, not least because the membership of the group included representatives from disability stakeholder groups, disabled persons' organisations, and other civil society organisations, which brought a real sense of lived experience to the group’s considerations. We must collectively value the work of the transport working group as the start of a lengthy and complex process requiring serious and mature political engagement and leadership on this issue.

The final report of the transport working group will be an important part of the evidence base that will feed into the development of the new national disability strategy, which the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, outlined earlier and which is intended to be ambitious. Mainstream-first means that as a society we must champion the inclusion of people with disabilities in all mainstream services to the greatest extent possible.

I am proud to have been part of the development of the motion before us today. I give credit to the Regional Group, which has done massive work on the motion, especially to Deputy Canney, who has driven the work within the group, and to Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh for her work behind the scenes. Our motion speaks a lot of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Ireland has ratified. It is important, however, to put on record that Ireland still has not ratified the optional protocol that accompanies this convention. This optional protocol allows people to make complaints to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to complaints they have against the State. The State is currently preventing this.

Aontú members recently attended a protest outside Dáil Éireann that was organised by Physical Impairment Ireland. We credit Senator Tom Clonan and Councillor Gabe Cronnelly for their work on this issue. Some of the stories we heard were absolutely shocking and heartbreaking. In particular, one woman who spoke to us told us about the lobbying she did over a long time with the Department of Social Protection for support for a child she had with disabilities. Unfortunately and sadly, her child died. Afterwards, the Department swiftly came back to look for repayment of one week's worth of disability allowance. It can take months, if not years, of trying to get supports, yet within one week the Department responded to that family when it was in a heartbroken situation. It shows us, in many ways, the attitude of the Department to this. The State sees itself as an inclusive, open and welcoming State but that is not true. Many people in the State who have disabilities feel excluded by the State. Ireland has a poor record in employment for people with disabilities. In 2021, the OECD report confirmed that we as a country were not generally inclusive for employment of people with disabilities.

We have a population in which approximately 13.5% of society identifies as having a disability, according to the 2016 census. Only between 30% and 36% of these people are employed. It is a disgrace. No other sector of society experiences this level of exclusion and for no other sector of society would that be acceptable in any way. We use the words diversity, inclusion and equality as buzzwords regularly in this House but they are meaningless in a practical sense for a significant section of society. I would say they are probably the biggest section of society who are discriminated against in this country. I think of a young woman called Kifca McNamee from my own county who I worked with a lot over the last number of years. This young woman has a significant disability and at the start of Covid, she was hospitalised. When she wanted to go home, the HSE could not find any care for her. She spent a long time in the hospital and was then removed to a nursing home. She spent months and months in a nursing home with people two and three times her age, trying and battling to get somebody to care for her but the HSE was struggling to get that care. Thankfully, it managed to get the care. I am not faulting any of the management in the HSE in the local area because they struggled to fill those spaces, but even now, the situation is that Kifca goes perhaps 15 hours overnight without being able to go the bathroom or get a drink of water. People are living in towns and villages in homes across the country in that scenario in 2023. It is wrong and heartbreaking to see.

In a previous life, I worked with an organisation that makes vehicles accessible for people with disabilities. There are many barriers, such as a lack of on-street parking and a lack of parking bays outside public buildings which people can use. There are also financial barriers. The State is not providing simple solutions for people with disabilities to access public transportation, private cars or even to drive cars. The Minister identified a fractured departmental response to all of this, which must be pulled together. We cannot go on like this.

I acknowledge the work Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, our co-ordinator and administrator, has put into this. I thank my Regional Group colleagues for their input. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, was here earlier. I do not doubt the sincerity of both Ministers or that they want to do something. I read this report, which contains 33 pages. It is a final report which, if I gave it to someone trying to get money for transport, would depress them. It has a lot of flowery language but I do not see any next steps in it. It will go some place else and at some stage something will happen. In the meantime, which the Minister of State knows, the primary medical certificate is not fit for purpose. It is the responsibility of the Department of Finance, but also of the Government. There are transport schemes which some people avail of because they got them at a certain time and are still getting them. Other people cannot apply because they were suspended and gotten rid of ten or 12 years ago and nothing has replaced them. We can talk all day about co-ordination, a whole-of-government approach and all of that, which we do in this House. I respect we must go through processes, but in the meantime, schemes need to be put in place so people have something to cling to.

The Indecon report showed that the cost of living for a person with a disability is in excess of €9,000 per annum. That is before the cost of living increases; let us not go there. Why not give people who have a disability and have proven they have a disability a payment to allow them to avail of transport? Peter Tyndall's report was mentioned. He is retired now and his last report was nearly three years ago. It stated that this was urgent. That is the word he used. I believe it is urgent. There is an urgency with the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, but while preparing something that will be all things to all people in a universal way, there must be interim measures to ensure people get support now.

The assessment process for the primary medical certificate is such that unless a person has lost a leg, a person will not get it. There is no point going in otherwise. There is an expectation that people will get something when they apply for something. There is a sense of rejection when they do not get it. I am aware of a case of a mother who is not physically able to go in for the assessment. To bring her to Galway from where she lives would be a huge trauma. Bringing her to the hospital now and again is a problem, yet there is no facility to come out and see the woman at home. There must be common sense and practicality. At the end of the day, we must put supports in place now as an interim measure until this document and all other reports and working groups, which must do their business, have done so, because in the meantime nothing is happening. It is a serious issue.

Yesterday, there was a presentation in the audiovisual room from Cara Darmody and her father, Mark. It is wrong that a 12-year-old child has to come in here and tell us what is wrong. We should know what is wrong. We are using somebody like that. The platitudes are great but we need to make sure that girl and her father can be at home with her mother, Noelle, to look after her two brothers. She is a great girl and a great example and she is showing us up as politicians. We must rise to her level of determination and make sure we get the support in place now for people with disabilities as an interim measure.

That completes our consideration of the Private Members' motion. Congratulations to all involved.