We cannot name names.

It has already been-----

I know that, but even if it is in the public domain, we are not supposed to-----

We can.

No, it is not proper.

It is in Standing Orders.

Order, please.

There is nothing to say-----

It is not proper to name names.

There is nothing to say one cannot.

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his help. Friedreich's ataxia is a progressive condition, but really what it does is weasel its way into every fibre of a person's body and takes him or her down. As a young person in her teens, the girl in question had expectations, like anyone would, even if they were only the ones her parents would want for her, but they were expectations of having a half-decent life. She has had to deal with all of the compromises and she and her family have had to take it on the chin. What is absolutely unacceptable is, as has been said, a cut of almost one half in what was already an inadequate number of personal support hours. The three hours of assistance she had available to her to help her stay at work were cut to 30 minutes. She has talked about the consequential pain and anxiety she feels regarding personal hygiene and toileting issues when she is at work when she does not have that support. None of us needs to come into this House or go on television to talk about our toileting needs, ebbs and flows or movements, but that is what someone felt she had to do in public last night.

There is no recovery for people with disabilities or their families. There is a continuation of the many cuts made and that, I am sad to say, is a fact and the reality. Last week I made comments to the Taoiseach here. I asked for confirmation that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD, would be ratified by the end of the year. I asked, not as a special plea, that the budget prioritise something to make sure Ireland would have a decent infrastructure for all of us and all of our loved ones. I said that, of the modest amount of money available to him, €300 million would be a decent start. The Taoiseach said he would meet me and that that meeting would take place, but he did not confirm that the legislation would be passed by the end of the year. That issue needs to be dealt with, as does the fact that he suggested to me afterwards that the €300 million would not be available. If it is, it is; if it is not, it is not. We will know on Tuesday. However, the bottom line is that people with disabilities - 600,000 people and their families - will continue to be on the wrong side of the recovery.

I hope the Leas-Chathaoirleach will join me in welcoming a special occasion for County Tipperary. The GAA All-Star nominees were announced last night and for the first time in the history of football in County Tipperary we have five nominees. The Leas-Chathaoirleach's county has four. It is a great day for County Tipperary. I would like to-----

For the record, that is really not relevant to the Order of Business but carry on.

My apologies.

Do not celebrate too much.

My party leader, Deputy Brendan Howlin, is launching the Labour Party's alternative budget, Building a Shared Prosperity, in which it sets out its desire to invest in public services, support families and clearly stamp out our ground on child care: the provision of child care at a maximum cost of €4.25 per hour for children up to 12 years of age. Our alternative budget also seeks to index link all social welfare payments and raise wages for working people to a living wage.

That brings me on to my second point. I call on the Leader to request the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to come to the House for a debate on the horse racing industry, the future of which is in crisis. In saying that, I congratulate another Tipperary man - at least, we adopted him - Mr. Aidan O'Brien for training the first three runners home in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last Sunday in Paris. However, the reality is that trainers such as Mr. David Wachman and Mr. Colm Murphy and other small trainers cannot compete and are leaving the industry.

On the other side of the coin is the reappointment of the CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, which is totally in breach of public policy. In addition, the Irish Stable Staff Association, headed by its general secretary, Mr. Bernard Caldwell, is trying to fight the cause for staff who are expected to work for €9.75 per hour. If they go away to attend a race meeting, for example, from Tipperary to Ballinrobe, from which they may get home at 1 a.m., they will receive €40 extra. That is unsustainable and people are leaving the industry. We need a debate on the issue urgently and I ask the Leader to organise such a debate.

I also raise a flag on behalf of one of the groups which made a submission on the budget, namely, the Irish Wheelchair Association, representatives of which we met last week in Leinster House. I will raise just one issue that struck me very deeply. One of the people who was with us was wheelchair-bound. In order for her to catch a train from County Mayo to Dublin, she must inform Iarnród Éireann a week in advance, as otherwise she cannot get on or off the train. I ask that in the budget that single issue be addressed on behalf of the Irish Wheelchair Association.

I support wholeheartedly Senator James Reilly on the restoration of the telephone allowance.

I reiterate the now urgent call for an extension of the slurry spreading season. The date on which farmers will no longer be allowed to spread slurry, 15 October, is fast approaching, but I am receiving an increasing number of communications from farmers and agricultural contractors who have not had an opportunity to spread slurry at all this year on account of waterlogged lands. It is no secret that we, in the west, have been particularly afflicted. Faced with the prospect of trying to do so between now and 15 October, it is neither feasible nor tenable and unless an extension is provided for, we face the possibility of overflowing slurry tanks which would pose their own environmental hazard. I call on the Minister with responsibility for the environment to take the necessary steps in that regard.

I ask that a sports capital grant be introduced and that it be weighted in favour of rural areas where people find it very hard to raise matching funds or raise funds at all. There have been great benefits in previous rounds of sports capital grants that really allow rural communities to thrive and, in particular, young people to participate in sports and youth development programmes. I was particularly struck by an item published on balls.ie in which the serious disparity in the expenditure of the GAA's development moneys was highlighted, with most of the money going towards the development of sports facilities in Dublin. While this is an internal matter for the GAA, it shows that in more rural areas and other counties investment is not taking place, notwithstanding the fact that the Irish Sports Council puts €1 million of taxpayers' money into the GAA every year. I have worked with a number of the GAA groups in my county and helped to them secure sports capital grants. They are very committed and do a fantastic job as volunteers in every parish in the country, but along with other sports organisations, especially in rural Ireland, they need extra help to make sports facilities a reality. I, therefore, ask that the sports capital grant programme be reopened and weighted in favour of rural areas.