The Government was sharply criticised for its record on dealing with disability issues yesterday and accused of trying to ram legislation on education for people with disabilities through the Dáil.
The leader of Fine Gael, Mr Michael Noonan, said in the chamber that the Bill had been rejected by all the interest groups.
The Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, asked Mr Ahern to explain why the Government had contempt for citizens with disabilities.
He said the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, had "rammed" the legislation through the Seanad, in an example of openness and transparency that would do credit to President Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
The Fine Gael education spokesman, Mr Michael Creed, said the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2002, was seriously flawed and should be withdrawn to facilitate real consultation with representative groups.
"Attempts to railroad this Bill through are more about political expediency than actually doing anything about improving the lot of people with a disability," said Mr Creed. "This is the second time in a month that Fianna Fáil have attempted to short-change people with a disability and their families," .
Fine Gael in government, he said, would consult widely with groups representing the disabled and would introduce rights-based legislation that would provide services adequate and appropriate to individuals' needs. "The assessment of need will be independent of any service-provider," he said.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said there would be further consultation on the legislation, but the Government considered it to be a very good Bill, taking into account best practice in the United States and Britain.
Anyone who wanted to make any further amendments could consult with the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, over the next three weeks.
He said he believed many of the objections to the contents of the Bill were based on misunderstandings.
There is uncertainty as to whether the Taoiseach will call the general election before the Dáil is due to return after Easter, but Mr Ahern said yesterday that it would come back on April 17th and that the Bill could be amended then.
The Labour spokeswoman on equality and law reform, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, said the Government's record in relation to disability issues was in tatters.
"One of the first acts undertaken by this Government was abolition of the Department of Equality and Law Reform," she said. "This decision robbed people with a disability with a voice at the Cabinet table. That decision set the tone for the Government's approach to disability issues."
When the Disability Bill was finally produced this year it was little more than an insult to those with a disability and their families.
"At the eleventh hour the Government was forced to withdraw this useless piece of legislation.
"Likewise the Education for People with Disabilities Bill, published earlier this week, has been rejected by the disability sector, and by people with autism and their advocates in particular," Ms O'Sullivan said.