‘No blank cheque for disabilities’

THE Government cannot provide an “open cheque book for people with disabilities” because there would be no money left for cancer or heart patients, Junior Justice Minister Willie O’Dea said last night.

Disability rights groups repeated their demands yesterday for rights-based legislation that would have no budgetary constraints.

But Mr O’Dea, who is due to bring in a new Disability Bill at the end of November, said that no country in the world provided absolute rights-based legislation without financial constraints.

“If we provided an open cheque book for people with disabilities they could technically demand all of the money in next year’s Budget and there would be nothing left for other pressing demands like cancer and heart patients,” Mr O’Dea said.

Following the landmark High Court Sinnott case, which secured the right for all disabled people to a State education, the then Minister for Education, Michael Woods, promised there would be an “open cheque book” for people with disabilities.

But Mr O’Dea said yesterday that Mr Woods was strictly referring to education and this was now provided to all disabled people up to 18.

On the broader issue of rights for disabled people, the new bill will move people with disabilities dramatically up the queue of those looking for State services, Mr O’Dea said.

It proposes to give people with disabilities:

A right to an assessment of need;

A right of appeal to an independent officer if their local health board fails to provide this;

A right to take their case to court if they are not happy with the independent officer’s assessment.

Mr O’Dea believes that, once a person with disability secures this assessment of needs, this will put pressure on the relevant statutory authorities to provide these services.

“There is still no statutory obligation on the State to provide the essential services for people with disabilities,” Mr Greene said.

Meanwhile, the Disability Legislation Consultation Group, which met the Taoiseach on July 15, insisted last night that he had promised at the meeting to bring in rights-based legislation and had made no reference to financial constraints.

Group member Donal Toolan yesterday said: “Mr Ahern’s lack of clarity is causing major concern among disabled people and their families who are united in their determination to secure rights-based legislation.”