Something wonderful happened in this country last year when the citizens of more than 160 cities and towns threw open their homes and their hearts to athletes and visitors attending the Special Olympic Games. As an occasion, it made people proud to be Irish. As an educational process, in which the issues surrounding disability could be recognised and publicly debated, it was invaluable. But the legislation required to underpin the entitlements of persons with disabilities, along with various specialist services, has yet to be published by the Government.
In the Dáil last Wednesday the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, sought to defend the Government's failure and promised legislation "better than anywhere else in the world" when it was finally published. But it is now more than two years since the Government withdrew its last Disability Bill, in some confusion, as a result of intense public and political anger. Since then, commitments given in the Programme for Government to provide desperately needed services and a proper legislative framework have not been kept. The Bill is unlikely to be published until after the June elections.
The issue, as might be expected, is one of cost. The Government is reluctant to introduce rights-based legislation in relation to services, and argues their provision should depend on the availability of financial resources. An advisory group to the Government has recognised the cost implications but has put forward the concept of "a progressive realisation of rights" under which services would be provided over a number of years.
The Government's attitude has changed significantly in recent years. It was helped, no doubt, by the Jamie Sinnott and Paul O'Donoghue High Court cases and by the occasion of the Special Olympics. Last July the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, announced that €50 million would be provided to meet the costs of emergency residential and day care for people with autism and intellectual disability and to refurbish and re-equip existing care centres. The disability sector, he said, had been prioritised by the Taoiseach. That money was desperately needed and it was quickly spent. But it represented a once-off payment. And the needs of families with children who have intellectual disabilities, as identified in RTÉ's Prime Time programme during the week, are just as acute today.
The Government's embargo on recruitment has contributed to the difficulties, although regulations are now being relaxed. An estimated 1,400 people are on waiting lists seeking residential and respite care, but fewer than 200 places become available each year. It places terrible and unfair pressure on dutiful families. The Government obviously does care. But not enough.