Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 December 2023
717. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has a established a dedicated funded programme to achieve implementation of UNCRPD; and his plans to provide resources for the establishment of a uniform approach to the provision of local authority access officers. [55414/23]
View answerIreland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 20 March 2018. Ireland's approach to meeting the obligations set out in the UNCRPD is one of continuous advancement, each year moving forward on key reforms and building on the progress achieved.
The Convention was drafted to frame the fundamental human rights set out in the other major UN Conventions in the disability context - to express human rights as disability rights. In doing so it is extremely comprehensive in scope, capturing most aspects of daily life and going well beyond the remit of a single Department or Minister.
Coordination of the necessary whole of government work to advance the rights under the Convention is done my by Department but it falls to each of my ministerial colleagues to develop and implement specific measures on the basis of their ministerial portfolio. In that context, all public bodies must each ensure, on a "mainstream first" basis and in line with the Convention, that they are meeting their obligations under the UNCRPD and in relevant national legislation.
In respect of the accessibility obligations set out in the Disability Act 2005, including the provision of access officers, these accessibility obligations constitute corporate responsibilities that extend to how all public bodies conduct their business, and which must be met from the resources allocated to each body in question.
With respect to local authorities, the manner in which a local authority discharges its legal obligations, including those under the Disability Act 2005, is a matter for the local authority in question and the overall funding available to local authorities is a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Where public bodies may require guidance or assistance in terms of what the role of access officer entails, or in terms of examples of best practice, the National Disability Authority has published guidance on its website and is available to assist public bodies seeking to support people with accessibility needs.
nda.ie/publications/access-officer-guidance-for-public-bodies
In relation to the budget of my own Department, I will be driving forward an ambitious programme of work to advance the progressive realisation of our obligations under the UNCRPD. This commitment is supported in Budget 2024 with a €2.8bn funding package for disability services.
