Fine Gael has defended Heather Humphreys’ record on carers’ and disability rights after an Independent Senator and disability rights campaigner claimed the former minister was “adamant” she would back a controversial plan to change social welfare payments for people with disabilities.
A spokesman for Ms Humphreys said she “respects Senator Clonan, who has always been a strong advocate for disabled people” but also sought to distance the presidential candidate from a proposal that was “only ever a consultation paper”.
Ms Humphreys’ department had planned to keep consulting on the proposals until at least July of last year. But when Simon Harris took over as Taoiseach, the process was cut four months short and shelved in April.
There was no reference to the plans in the Government’s National Disability Strategy, launched this week.
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Tom Clonan said Ms Humphreys’ department only abandoned the proposals last year for political reasons identified by new Taoiseach Mr Harris, and not because of the feedback of disabled people.
Citing Mr Harris’s infamous general election exchange with a disability worker in Kanturk, Mr Clonan said, “Heather Humphreys has just had her SuperValu moment with me.”
A spokesman for Ms Humphreys told The Irish Times, “Anybody who knows Heather, knows that she is somebody that listens.
“She has always been a strong advocate for carers and disabled people. She increased disability and carers’ payments in successive budgets; she introduced a pension for long-term carers; she brought in a new Free Travel Pass for people medically unable to drive; and she introduced Catherine’s Law to support students in receipt of disability payments. Organisations like Family Carer’s Ireland have acknowledged the good work Heather did during her time as Minister.
“Anybody can google the Green Paper for themselves and see that it was only ever a consultation paper. Heather listened to the genuine concerns raised during that consultation and the proposals did not proceed any further.
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“Heather respects Senator Clonan, who has always been a strong advocate for disabled people.”
The Green Paper on Disability Reform, which had been strongly opposed by disability rights campaigners, was published in 2023.
Under the proposals in the Green Paper, which was a consultation document, a new three-tier system of disability benefits would have been introduced. Each tier would be based on an individual’s ability to work. Disability rights campaigners, including Mr Clonan, argued this would have exposed people to assessments, similar to those introduced under a controversial UK government regime.
In an interview this week, Ms Humphreys said she found criticism of her for the Green Paper “very hurtful”, and said it was “only ever a public consultation document”.
She said she had “listened to people’s views” and had met Mr Clonan and heard his concerns and the concerns of others. “Based on those genuine concerns raised, I decided not to proceed with it,” Ms Humphreys told RTÉ Radio 1’s News at One programme.
Mr Clonan has disputed this account. He said Ms Humphreys had sought a meeting with him in October 2023 to “reiterate very, very clearly” that she was strongly in favour of the proposal in the Green Paper.
“She absolutely stuck to her guns,” Mr Clonan said.
“At that meeting, they basically said, ‘We’re here to tell you that we’re not for changing on this, this is the pathway for reform of disability payments.’
“Heather was very, very polite ... but she was absolutely adamant that they were not changing.”
The Green Paper was abandoned last April days after Mr Harris became Taoiseach. When announcing the scrapping of the scheme, Ms Humphreys cited Mr Harris’s plan to put “a major focus on improving supports for people with disabilities”.
Mr Clonan said he believes the Green Paper was dropped only because Mr Harris and Fine Gael recognised they had got it wrong on the issue of disability rights in the wake of the failed care referendum in March.
“It was because, as Enda Kenny would say, they got a wallop and suddenly realised, ‘Uh oh, disability rights count,’” Mr Clonan said. “So the idea that she changed it based on feedback from disability groups is not the case.”
Mr Clonan said there were more than one million disabled people and carers in Ireland, and the president “has to be somebody for all the people”.
“I wish her the very best of luck, and good luck in her campaign, but I certainly would not be able to vote for someone [as president] whose politics have been inimicable to the fundamental rights of disabled people and carers,” he said.
Fine Gael has been contacted for comment.
