Labour TD wants cut in drug fees for those on disability allowance

A proposal to abolish prescription charges for those in receipt of a disability allowance was on the Government agenda for the last two budgets but supporters of the measure were unable to secure approval, Labour TD Joe Costello has said.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Platform of Self Advocates in Dublin yesterday, Mr Costello said the abolition of prescription charges for people with disability would be included in a programme for government his party would be participating in after the general election.

Mr Costello was one of a number of politicians who answered questions from members of the platform as part of a pre-election briefing. Others present included Liam Coyne, Social Democrat candidate for Dublin South-Central; Malcolm Noonan, Green Party candidate for Carlow-Kilkenny, and Maureen O’Sullivan, an Independent candidate for Dublin Central.

Platform

The platform is an independent self-advocacy organisation set up to promote the voices of people with intellectual disability.

Responding to a question on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Ms O’Sullivan said Ireland signed the document in 2007 but did not ratify it.

She said she had been campaigning for years for it to be implemented but there was little point in ratifying if the Government did not put in place the resources to support equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.

Mr Noonan said he agreed “resourcing is the key” to Ireland’s ratification of the convention. He said this must include “reversing the cuts” imposed by the last government and “made worse” by the current regime.

Mr Coyne said the Government believed the solution was to make the rich as rich as possible so benefits could trickle down to the needy.