LONG-STANDING ISSUES of personal assistant legislation that have been promised in the Dáil but not delivered were among the criticisms at a rally held by the Clare Leader Forum last week.
Marching down O’Connell Street in Ennis, members of the Clare Leader Forum in conjunction with Power Ireland led by Martin Vernon chanted, “We won’t let you pass us out, nothing about us, without us”. Clare TDs, Cathal Crowe (FF) and Violet-Anne Wynne (IND) were among those present for the rally.
Organisers told The Clare Echo the aim of the demonstration was to highlight Personal Assistant legislation which has been promised and agreed in principle in Dáil Éireann. The UNCRPD, (United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities) was adopted by the U.N. in 2006. Ireland signed the Convention in 2007. It was ratified in March 2018 and entered into force a month later.
Activist, Trish McNamara stated, “Disabled People have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that PAS is the means for many to achieve Independent Living. It is 30 years since its introduction to Ireland. Today only 5% of the total budget is spent on PAS, while 95% of 3 billion euros is spent on institutionalszing us, against our will and preference”.
She said, “First and foremost, we demand a right to PAS. Under Article 19 of the UNCRPD Disabled People have a right to a Personal Assistant Service – Not We do not want Care Support or Nursing Homes. Our inherent dignity is persistently violated by successive Governments by denying our right to independent living”.
Clare Leader Forum members are calling for the motion to be passed into Law and the establishment of a timeline for its implementation. An approximate 643,000 persons have disabilities in Ireland.
Shannon resident, Padraic Hayes who is Chairperson of Clare Leader Forum commented, “The Government is breaking its promise of a New Social Contract by not honouring its promise to adopt the UNCRPD Optional Protocol is failing over 643, 000 people in Ireland, 13.5% of the Irish population”.
