A Sinn Féin motion that calls for appropriate investment in disability services and publication of the Disability Capacity Review implementation plan will be brought before the Dail this evening.
Initiated by the party's spokesperson on Disability and Carers and Cavan Monaghan TD, Deputy Pauline Tully, it calls on the Government to make the appropriate investment needed for disability services and publish, without any further delay, the implementation plan for the Disability Capacity Review.
Deputy Tully says Budget 2023 failed to resource and fund disability support services appropriately. She added the Government also failed to meet the needs of people with disabilities as outlined in the Department of Health's disability capacity review.
The local TD highlighted how there are currently 17,000 children waiting for 'initial contact' with a Children's Network Disability Team, and 2,500 children whose Assessment of Needs are overdue.
"The total extent of waiting lists for disability services is currently unknown due to poor data systems. Underinvestment in IT infrastructure is holding the health service back and while I cautiously welcome the indication from the Tánaiste that there will be a new policy approach, it cannot be used to dilute the rights of people with disabilities in the Disability Act," Deputy Tully continued.
"The Government must adopt a rights-based approach to disability services in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They badly need to address workforce challenges with a serious workforce planning group led by the Taoiseach, to include health and higher education. They also need to ratify the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."
