I start by thanking Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. It is very important and I am very glad that it did. Here we go again. We are back here again, several months after I introduced a motion calling for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. I am a new TD. I like to listen to what is happening around here. One of the first debates I saw was a three-hour debate on disabilities. It came from all sides of the House. Everybody was talking about how it was very difficult for families who had a disabled person in their home. We all agreed with it. What was the point of that conversation if the Government is not willing to put its money where its mouth is and if it is not willing to support motions like this to make sure people get the kinds of payments they need? In January, I called for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. In that debate, the Minister refused to acknowledge the lived experience of people with disabilities. He refused to acknowledge that people were choosing between heating and eating. He called it alarmist language and said that it was dangerous. I have asked him since to withdraw those remarks. He still has not done so, which, quite frankly, is shocking and despicable. There was a protest just before that debate and Michael from Clare, a fairly young fella, told me how he had to choose how many heating rungs on his electric heater he could afford to turn on. That is the reality that people are living with. We have heard these experiences over and over. I will read into the record some other lived experiences because the Minister seems not to be familiar with them. He seems to be ignoring them completely, month after month, year after year in this Government. These are all from the Disability Federation of Ireland. On unemployment: It's financially irresponsible of me to go full-time at work [...] it's better for me to stay part-time than it is to go full-time, which makes no sense. When I reach 66, I lose all my disability payments, but the extra costs don't go away. On healthcare: Because I don't have a medical card, I'm only allowed six physiotherapy sessions a year. I can't afford medication the doctor says I need ... I drag out blood tests as long as I can. On financial hardship: Some weeks its a toss between food or bills as there's nothing left. The disability allowance I receive falls so short in covering my financial needs. I feel penalised and knowing I will continue to deteriorate with no hope for a better future for myself and my children can be unbearable. I have to attend a food bank weekly ... apart from it being demoralising, it's a necessity to survive. I know the cold, long winter nights are only around the corner, and it scares me. Simply, the word saving does not apply to me, as I simply have nothing left over. I'm not looking to be a millionaire. I'm looking for security, home, heat, food, family and not to fight for every basic thing. We are more reliant than ever on our families and our independence is being eroded. This is not because of our disability. This is because we need to address the cost of [that disability]. You get tired of being the one who says 'sorry, I can't go'... people think you don't care, but you just can't afford it. The ministers making decisions don't have a clue what it's like to have a disability. People with disabilities shouldn't have to fight for everything. We in the Opposition are fighting for people with disabilities. We have been fighting for months. We will be fighting for years, it seems like. Last week I was speaking to a constituent who has a disability. She is being evicted from her home. One thing she said to me that was frustrating was she was worried about gaining employment. I was at the summit the Minister of State was at and somebody told me it took them seven months after they lost their job to get their disability allowance back. This just is not working. While the summit was well organised and well done and I congratulate all the participants, it showed the Minister of State is failing at this and needs to act more quickly.

Sentiment score: -0.05