Wheelchair access grants
Richard O'Donoghue, with visitors in the Gallery, asks about grant aid to make businesses more accessible for wheelchair users. The Taoiseach welcomes the visitors, says there are supports in schools and some other areas, and notes Local Link and sports grants can help with adaptations and inclusion.
I am sorry, Deputy, but your question time is over.
We have two Deputies who were outside the time. Given the day that is in it, I am going to allow them in, ask them to brief and ask the Taoiseach respond. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue to begin.
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I am here with many friends today. I have the Knocklong Men's Shed and I have Patrick O'Dea here from Dromin. I have Maurice and Elly above in the Gallery and they are both wheelchair users. Maurice is from Granagh. He plays Munster hurling and tag rugby and he works in the HSE. He is 25. Maurice told me he had lost out on so much with his friends because the facilities were not there for wheelchair users. They are there in public buildings, but they are not in other businesses. Maurice knows businesses are under massive pressure, but is there any grant aid there to provide the basics for people who are wheelchair users so that they can go out and socialise with their friends? He has lost out on 18th and 21st birthday parties. His friends have been brilliant to him, but he wants to know. The Minister for Health is here as well. Maybe we could liaise with the likes of Maurice-----
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-----to see what we can do to help people in that situation.
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I thank the Deputy very much for raising the issue. I welcome the community from Knocklong. I have a small connection. My grandfather was in the rescue party for Seán Hogan at Knocklong when he was rescued during the ambush there. They took him away and he was a sentry in the Galtee Mountains for a while.
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Well, the Deputy mentioned Knocklong and I was reared on the stories about it in my family.
Deputy O'Donoghue raised a more serious point about wheelchair users. I was at an event recently with the Department of Social Protection in terms of supporting the employment front. The Deputy makes a fair point. In schools and some other areas of life, we do support adaptation.
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There is Local Link as well whereby we give incentives and supports in terms of facilitation for wheelchair users. There is certainly more we can do now with the sports grants because to the credit of sports clubs, of all codes, they are now developing really good streams of participation in sport-----