I ask the Leader for a debate on the disability motion that is listed as the sixth motion on the Order Paper for today, which has been proposed by us in the Labour Party with support from Sinn Féin and the Civic Engagement Group. I thank all colleagues for signing up to it. This is a cross-party initiative, which was also introduced in the Dáil last night, seeking to ensure a cross-party approach to the hugely important issue of disability rights and services. Colleagues on all sides will be aware of the enormous pressure that has been put on families, carers and service providers, as well as on persons with a disability themselves, as a result of Covid. The enormous pressure on services has stretched them to incredible lengths. I spoke this morning with St. Michael's House in Dublin 9. It is just one example of the many services that are suffering from the sort of chronic underfunding mentioned in the motion and the lack of specific provision to enable them to reopen day services in particular. We are calling on colleagues to support this cross-party motion and I call on the Leader to give us Government time to debate it over the coming days, in order that we can approach this in a collegiate and cross-party fashion. It is too important an issue for us not to do so. In particular, the motion calls on the Government to provide the funding required to fully reopen day and other essential disability services. We must also implement all Covid-19 related protocols, which are also placing a huge financial burden on services that are already stretched, and provide the additional funding, resources and capital investment required to guarantee sustainable capacity within disability and dementia services. We have heard disturbing reports of services closing in recent weeks and we need to ensure services are made sustainable in order that they can work through the crisis and beyond to provide the supports that are so essential for people with disabilities, their families and carers.

Others have commented on today being day one of level 3. Businesses are going to be impacted hugely by these restrictions but we all need to work together to ensure we get through this. The tailbacks, particularly around Dublin, are very difficult. Many of the people caught in tailbacks are front-line workers and many of them are doing deliveries. That has to be looked at again.

Like Senator Bacik, I wish to discuss the disability sector. A number of weeks ago, we heard that more staff would be assigned to ensure the backlog of assessment needs would be looked after. This was welcome news for all of us who are concerned about people with disabilities and their families. I was contacted this morning by a mum, Samantha Kenny in Athy, who told me that because of the backlog being addressed her five-year-old daughter Ava, who has complex needs, has now had her occupational therapist, OT, speech therapist and physiotherapist taken from her. As a family they have been dealing with many challenges. Basically, 3.5 clinicians, namely, a part-time psychologist, an OT, a speech therapist and a physiotherapist, have been taken from the pool of the network disability team in south Kildare to deal with the new assessments. This is completely wrong. Many children have been impacted and a particular special school has been impacted as well. That is happening in mid and north Kildare and I have no doubt that it is happening all around the country as well. It makes no sense to take clinicians to deal with one backlog and create another, when these children absolutely need intervention. Will the Minister of State with responsibility for disability come in and address this? Perhaps we could send her a letter from the Seanad saying this is absolutely not the way to go.