Agenda item

Motion No. 1

It was proposed by Cllr. Declan Meenagh and seconded by Cllr. Rachael Batten that “This local authority calls for a motion to support the right to Personal Assistance Service (PAS) for disabled people to have freedom, choice and control over all aspects of their lives to enable them to fully participate in an inclusive society as equals. Independent living means an individual can live with the freedom and control to have the same choices in life that everyone else has in terms of housing, transportation, education and employment. PAS is a tool for Independent Living that allows disabled people to live independently, providing individuals with the freedom and flexibility they need to live their lives as they choose. With PAS, disabled people are in control and direct the Personal Assistant (PA) to carry out tasks both inside and outside of the home, including personal care, domestic duties, assisting in day-to-day tasks such as shopping, support in the workplace or socialising. PAs should not be confused with ‘Home Help’ or Carers as they do not ‘look after’ or ‘care for’ a disabled person.

In Ireland there is no standardised procedure for administrating personal PA hours. In 2017, 84% of those in receipt of PAS received less than three hours a day and 42% of these people were in receipt of between 1 and 5 hours a week, an average of 42 minutes a day, despite disability being a 24-hour issue. As far back as 1996, it was identified that an average need for 10 hours of PAS per person per week could only respond to essential personal care needs, not quality of life requirements and it would certainly not enable full active participation in the community.

30 years on and the Independent Living Movement in Ireland continues to strive for full independent living on behalf of disabled people; advocating for choice and control over their lives and full participation in society as equal citizens. A right to PAS for disabled people is fundamental to achieving that vision, however, currently there is no such right in Ireland.

Considering the unanimous motion passed in Dáil Eireann on the 19^th November 2019, this Local Authority recognises:

·         In March 2018 Ireland formally ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which under Article 19 states that disabled people have the right to live in the community and have access to a range of in-home and other supports including PAS to support this.

·         Its obligation to consult closely with disabled people and their representative organisations in policy development as enshrined in Article 4.3 of the UNCRPD which states that “in the development and implementation of legislation and policies…States Parties shall closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, through their representative organizations”, specifically in relation to services provided by this local authority which impact on disabled people’s lives, such as planning, housing, transport, social inclusion and enterprise.

·         The Motion passed in Dáil Eireann on the 19^th November and as such reaffirms that PAS that supports disabled people to live independent lives should be legislated for as a right.”

The motion was put and carried.

Motion No. 2

It was proposed by Cllr. Michael Watters and seconded by Cllr. Deirdre Heney “That Dublin City Council agree to immediately revoke, what appears to be a blanket policy of removing public litter bins from locations, where cases of anti-social behaviour/misuse of bins exist, as the removal of such bins does little or nothing to stop the illegal dumping of waste, yet denies law abiding citizens the opportunity of having a public litter bin to properly dispose of their waste, which thus leads to more litter in our public domain and continued dumping.”

The motion was put and carried.

Motion No 3.

It was proposed by Cllr. Daithí Doolan and seconded by Cllr. Anthony Connaghan that the motion in the name of Cllr. Máire Devine be deferred to the next Council meeting.

Agreed.

Motion No. 4

It was proposed by Cllr. Joe Costello and seconded by Cllr. Sophie Nicoullaud “that the Chief Executive write to the Minister for Justice requesting her to consult with her counterpart in Northern Ireland with a view to synchronising the legislation on the sale of fireworks in the North with that in the Republic so that the main source of illegal fireworks is closed.”

The motion was put and carried.