Disability services - No centre inspection appalling

THE plight of Ireland’s disabled people, which can only be described as a dark stain on the conscience of society, is graphically illustrated by today’s revelation on the lack of inspection at residential centres.

Successive governments, and especially the current administration, have a history of promising much but doing little to address the problems of disabled people.

In a classic example of this niggardly approach, the Disability Bill now before the Dáil does not guarantee their right to services but makes it subject to economic considerations.

Behind a raft of clauses, the bottom line is that if a government department pleads inability to fund a service, then disabled people will do without.

In yet another glaring example of the State’s neglect of disabled citizens, no legislation exists to allow the relevant authorities inspect centres where 7,000 adults and children reside.

Astonishingly, health boards do not inspect the private sector and the Irish Social Services Inspectorate is debarred from inspecting statutory centres because the relevant legislation has not been amended to allow them do so.

This means there is no independent inspection of health care homes for some 225 children with intellectual disabilities or for centres where thousands of adults live.

Effectively, this places one of the most vulnerable groups in society at risk. This situation is appalling since international experience shows they are among the more vulnerable groups in society, particularly given their relatively inadequate communication skills.

Nor is there any clarity about the monitoring of standards proposed by the National Disability Authority if and when they are introduced.

There is urgent need for Government to guarantee the transparency and accountability of a system which caters for some of Ireland’s most vulnerable people.