Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 May 2021
429. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way he will ensure that persons with disabilities will have a voice in Government and are included in policy development and implementation to enforce their civil rights similar to the disability platform of the President of the United States of America. [22663/21]
View answerThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) requires State parties actively to involve people with disabilities in policy development. Ireland ratified the UNCRPD in 2018. It is important that the experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities are integrated into the development of policies and programmes so that they meet their needs effectively.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has funded the development of a Participation and Consultation Network to build capacity within the disability community so that people with disabilities and their representative organisations can participate fully. The Network was formed in late 2020. One of the Network’s first tasks has been to bring the voices of people with disabilities into consultations on Ireland’s first State Report to the UN on our progress in implementing the Convention. The Network facilitated a consultation process amongst its membership to complete that task.
This Network is an important initiative that will help us to realise both the spirit and the substance of the UNCRPD here in Ireland. It will provide a platform for people with disabilities to become actively involved in issues that affect their lives.
