Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
879. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the way in which successive Ministers in his Department have complied with the requirements of sections 31 and 32 of the Disability Act 2005 in each of the past five years; and the way in which they have complied with section 31(2) of the Act. [18332/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo meet its obligations under the Disability Act, the Department of Health issued its initial sectoral plan in 2006, and a revised follow-up one year later, followed by a three year review in 2009.
On foot of legal advice received by Department of Justice, coordinated action on disability has since been pursued via the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) and its predecessor plans rather than through the statutory route. The Sectoral Plan provisions of the Disability Act are restated in the transfer of functions legislation with provision for Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to prepare a sectoral plan.
People with disabilities and their representatives, including Disabled Persons Organisations as defined in the UNCRPD, are consulted regularly through a variety of standing mechanisms, such as the Department of Health Consultative Committee, the HSE’s Disability Consultative Fora and the Disability Stakeholders. Departmental Consultative Committees and the monitoring and collaborative role of the Disability Stakeholder Group are now embedded into the architecture of the NDIS across a range of departments, but originate in the sectoral plan requirements of the Disability Act. There are also standalone consultation events such as the Department of Justice consultation conducted prior to the adoption of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy. The Department of Health also recently conducted a public consultation to inform the Disability Action Plan 2022-2025.
