Delayed Disability Bill will be best in the world, says Ahern

THE Disability Bill will be better than any similar laws in the world, the Taoiseach said yesterday. However, he still could not say when the long-delayed legislation will be published.

Defending the Government's record on the provision of services for people with disabilities, Bertie Ahern said that €1.2 billion is being spent in this area double the amount from five years ago.

Responding to questions from Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, the Taoiseach listed a series of statistics to outline the Government's efforts on disability service provision. They included:

l1,700 additional residential places mainly based in the community.

lA 37% growth in the number of people with intellectual disabilities living in full-time residential places in communities.

lA 165% increase in the provision of intensive places designed to meet the needs of individuals with challenging behaviour.

lA 47% drop in the number of people accommodated in psychiatric hospitals.

lAnd a 255% expansion in the availability of residential support services.

Yet Mr Ahern agreed that not everyone who needs a residential place has got one and he said the Government continues to try to improve that situation.

"We are committed to producing not only a Disabilities Bill we believe is better than any similar legislation anywhere in the world but one on which we can garner as much support as possible," he said.

Mr Rabbitte also referred to this week's RTÉ Prime Time documentary which, he said, showed the acute distress of some families attempting to cope with children who have intellectual disabilities.

"There are hundreds of families in the same circumstances. They probably all have two things in common. One is that they are all contemplating legal action against the State because they have no right to specialist services; and most of them have considered suicide as the only way out of the dilemma in which they find themselves," the Labour leader said.

However, Mr Ahern replied that the new Disability Bill would give people the right to appeal.

"The legislation gives a right to people if the system fails them to appeal to the end position. However, I am conscious that NESC and others have said the legislation should not try to achieve legal certainty or constitutional rights although those appeal mechanisms exist.

"We should be trying to achieve assessment of need, service statements in redress, genetic testing, public service employment and try to give people the services they need, not just their legal rights," he said.