Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 December 2023
210. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures and initiatives he has taken to support disability rights and inclusion since 27 June 2020. [55609/23]
View answerAs Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I am committed to promoting disability rights and supporting the full inclusion, participation and empowerment of people with disabilities in our community.
On 26 of April this year the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 was commenced along with the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022.
Commencement of the Assisted Decision-Making Act brought an end to wardship in the State for adults, by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871 and replacing the wards of court system with the new process for appointing tiered decision support arrangements that is now in effect. All existing wards of court will exit wardship on a phased basis over the coming three years. The new system of decision support arrangements is supporting people to continue to exercise control over their daily affairs and to carry on with lives of their choosing, even in the context of diminished capacity.
I was also delighted to be able to include in the final legislation a number of key measures which furthered the implementation of the UNCRPD, such as reform of certain aspects of jury service, changes in who can stand for election, legislating for IHREC to be the national monitoring body for the UNCRPD, and raising the minimum percentage of disabled people to be employed in the public service from 3 to six percent by 2025.
My Department provides, and will continue to evolve, frameworks for consulting with disabled people, in furtherance of the powerful phrase "nothing about us without us". This has included establishing and funding the Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPCN). My Department supports the DPCN through grant funding to five organisations for the purposes of building capacity among the disability community in Ireland. Through the support and capacity building programmes delivered to date, this funding has contributed to the development of self-advocacy skills and facilitated participation in a number of significant consultations.In October 2021, I was delighted to launch a new annual Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF). The value of the Fund was €2.5m in 2021, and €3m in the most recent call, with further iterations of the Fund planned. The purpose of DPAF is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities and to remove barriers to community involvement. Through DPAF, funding has been provided for a number of projects that aim to support people with disabilities, including those with autism and neurodiversity, to participate and engage more fully in their local communities.
Up until the start of this year, I chaired meetings of the previous National Disability Inclusion Strategy, which provided a framework for coordinating whole of government action, and oversaw a whole of government programme of work comprising over 120 actions. I am now continuing my support for disability rights and inclusion going forward as we develop, together with the input of people with disabilities and their representative organisations, the next national disability strategy - to be delivered in 2024. The new national disability strategy will provide a blueprint, developed in partnership with disabled people, for an ambitious programme of work to coordinate continued implementation of the UNCRPD in Ireland and to further support the rights and inclusion of disabled people.
