In tandem with the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, I obtained Government approval for the establishment of an interdepartmental task force to draw up a plan of action on the rights of people with disabilities, based on the report, and a monitoring committee comprising representatives of people with disabilities, their families and carers, service providers, the social partners and a number of Departments to monitor the implementation of the commission's recommendations.
The task force commenced its work in January of this year. It is chaired by my Department and is representative of all the major Departments which have responsibility for the wide range of policy issues on which the commission's report has an impact. Material for inclusion in the plan of action is being prepared by each Department. The work of the task force is ongoing and it is expected to complete its report by mid-year. It will be then presented to Government for consideration.
On 18 April I launched the monitoring committee. The terms of reference of the monitoring committee are to advise the interdepartmental task force on the prioritisation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities; to provide any assistance and support required by the task force to facilitate the preparation of the plan of action on the rights of people with disabilities; to advise my Department as required on the drawing up of a detailed implementation strategy arising from the commission's recommendations; to make proposals to my Department on mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of the commission's recommendations; and to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities which have been accepted by Government or by Ministers.