Health Committee to resume discussions on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Joint Committee on Health will tomorrow resume their discussions on issues in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and its relevance for health and wellbeing. The Committee will hear from representatives from the Centre for Independent Living and the Disability Federation of Ireland.

The meeting will commence at 9.00am in Committee Room 4 tomorrow, Thursday, 25 May 2017.

Committee Chairman Dr. Michael Harty TD said “At last week’s meeting on the UNCRPD, we heard from representatives from Mental Health Reform, Inclusion Ireland, the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies and The Not for Profit Business Association on the effect that the delay in ratification has had on those in the disabled community. We spoke at length about how ratification could accelerate reforms in the area and how the existing barriers mean that many people in the community are not enabled to live in community settings, in line with the UNCRPD.”

“Tomorrow we will continue our examination of the area with the Centre for Independent Living (CIL) and Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI). Members will examine the cause and effect of the delay in ratification and the very real effect that it has had on those represented by the CIL and DFI. We will also use this opportunity to hear more about the work of the CIL and DFI and discuss, more broadly, the issues facing those that they represent.”

Committee proceedings can be viewed live here.

To read more about the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities see here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.