Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:31. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the commitments in the programme for Government on improving the lives of persons with disabilities. [29820/17]
View answerWednesday, 12 July 2017
Questions (31)
Oral answers (9 contributions)
Question No. 31 is in the name of Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett and Deputy Gino Kenny has been nominated.
What is the status of the commitments in the programme for Government on improving the lives of persons with disabilities?
I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue of improving the lives of persons with disabilities. The programme for Government contains a number of commitments to improving the lives of persons with disabilities. These commitments include supporting people with disabilities to maximise their potential, removing barriers which impact on access to services, education, work or health care, and providing supports at key transition points in their lives.
The programme also recognises that persons with disabilities should have more control in accessing services and giving them greater independence and choice to better fit their needs. That is the plan in the programme for Government.
The Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible for me to provide an update on every individual commitment in the programme for Government but I am prepared to answer any other individual questions. The Deputy will also appreciate that the programme for Government is just one part of the wider Government policy in supporting persons with disabilities and cannot be looked at in isolation.
In addition to the commitments in the programme for Government, the Deputy will be aware of the forthcoming National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021, which will form a key part of driving Government policy in this area. The aim of the strategy is to significantly improve the lives of people with disabilities in a practical sense and to create the best possible opportunities for people with disabilities to fulfil their potential. The strategy is an all-of-Government approach and is broadly based around eight key themes including ensuring equality and choice, the provision of services, accommodation, health, employment, transport and education. As chair of the national disability inclusion strategy steering group, I have driven the preparation of the strategy, including an extensive consultation process, and its recent finalisation, and I am delighted to inform the Deputy that it will be launched this Friday, 14 July in Croke Park. I am happy to provide additional information on people with disabilities.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
I can assure the Deputy that the Government's commitments to improving the lives of persons with disability will not end with the publication of the strategy, and I am committed to ensuring that the strategy results in real and concrete change for the better for children and adults with disabilities. I am happy to provide additional information on individual commitments in the programme if the Deputy has specific issues in which he is interested.
The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, has been a very strong advocate for people with disabilities and all that comes with that. I have probably asked him this question numerous times since I have been elected, namely, when will the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, take place? Since the Government came into office more than a year ago it said the ratification of the convention would be advocated. Fourteen months later the convention has still not been ratified. I find that extraordinary. This week we have a raft of Bills being pushed through the House. We have a Bill about the Rugby World Cup, which is very important. I am a big rugby fan myself. That is one Bill that is being pushed through but 11 years after it was introduced, the UNCRPD has still not been ratified. It is extraordinary that 156 countries have ratified the convention and Ireland is not one of them.
A great deal of work is going on in terms of the ratification of the UNCRPD. I meet officials from the Departments of Health and Justice and Equality every Monday to drive this agenda. Up to now, nobody took an interest in this issue at all. However, I do accept that the delays are frustrating. The two delays relate to the deprivation of liberty and the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. Much work has been done and the Department of Health is due to publish revised heads in that regard towards the end of August.
Amendments to disability legislation on the deprivation of liberty will be published after the summer break. We are moving on this issue. We have had interviews in recent weeks for a director and project manager for the decision support service, DSS, office which will help to drive the ratification of the UN convention.
I reject the criticism made in terms of other countries ratifying the convention. Many countries ratified the UNCRPD but some of them still chain disabled adults to heaters and bars in institutions. We are doing the opposite. We are trying to put the services in place. This year we are investing €1.69 billion in the services, an increase of €96 million between residential services, day services, respite residential support, personal assistant service hours, home support services and moving people from institutions. We have a good record and I want to ratify the UN convention and I intend to do so very quickly.
I do not doubt the Minister of State's commitment to this issue-----
Deputy Kenny does.
-----but it is taking a long time. I asked the Minister of State about it three or four times since I was elected. I understand the relevant Bill is on Committee Stage. Waiting for the ratification of the UNCRPD is becoming a latter-day "Waiting for Godot". If there is a will in this House, things get done but if there is not a will, things do not get done. It is as simple as that. I will probably ask the Minister of State the question again in September or even next year. Hopefully, the convention will be ratified but one gets disillusioned very quickly in this place when one sees the things that happen. I am sure the Minister of State wants to see the convention ratified as much as anybody else but people with disabilities are looking to Members to ratify it. I do not think everything has to be in place. Let us ratify the convention and give people with disabilities an equal footing with able-bodied people.
I am pleased the Deputy does not doubt my determination to ratify the convention. I am determined to ratify it and I have the strong support of the lead Minister in the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan. Department of Justice and Equality officials have been fantastic, in particular in recent months, in driving this issue because, like me, they are determined to get this done. I accept Deputy Gino Kenny's frustration but there are complex issues that have to be resolved regarding the deprivation of liberty, and they are being resolved as I speak. However, it does take time. It is not as simple as people think. There is a side of me that strongly agrees with Deputy Gino Kenny and I am tempted to say let us do it and get on with it but, to be honest, I want to do it properly and we intend to do it in as short a timeframe as possible.
Question No. 32 replied to with Written Answers.