I thank Deputy Quaide for the work he has done to bring forward this motion and, indeed, the commitment of the Social Democrats to prioritising people with disabilities through its policies and what it does. We should be straight here. The Irish State has never treated disabled people as equal citizens of this Republic. One or both of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has been in government since the foundation of the State. What is the history? It is one of shameful treatment. People have been hidden and institutionalised. What we are seeing today is a new form of individualised institutionalisation. Adults with intellectual disability, when their parents die or they cannot be there for them any more, are being hidden in all sorts of individual privatised homes without the care or the connection to their community. It is an absolute failure, and it is failure because the Government knew about this. Disabled people have been denied their basic rights. This is why I have brought forward a Bill to put the right to housing in the Constitution. We are very clear that disabled people do not have that right. It is important because a right to housing is not just about a roof over your head. It is about adequate and appropriate housing so you are supported for your needs. One of the most shameful aspects of this is that the Government has been aware of this problem and has let it grow. It is a failure of the HSE and the Department of housing, but ultimately it is a failure of the taoisigh and tánaistí who have failed to prioritise the issue. I highlight the Before We Die campaign for the work its representatives have done. They have brought the issue to light. They are saying that they are not accepting it, and that is the difference between now and other times in the history of this country. Disabled people and their families are saying they will not accept this any more. We in the Social Democrats stand with them and say that we are not accepting it either. This is not okay. I will connect this issue to the issue of housing. Some 1,600 households with someone with an identified intellectual disability are on the waiting list, which is an 18% increase since 2023. These are people who you know about, but, of course, the Government has privatised social housing and has not delivered social housing sufficiently in its broadest context, with support services as well. In my constituency, I visited St. Michael's House on the Ballymun Road. It showed me the great services it provides but it has a waiting list of 55 individuals. Eight are 66 years of age or over, 22 are aged between 46 and 65, and ten are aged between 18 and 30. Forty of these individuals are classified as high-risk, highlighting the urgent need for placements and increased resources to provide care for them, but St. Michael's House has had to pause the waiting list. We do not know how many more people need it. This is a failure. The position has to change now.

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