Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 June 2022
82. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress that his Department has made on enabling rights, following Ireland’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28410/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 20 March 2018. This marked an important milestone in a process to strengthen the rights of people with disabilities in Ireland that has gathered momentum since Ireland became a signatory to the Convention in 2007.
Ireland's approach to meeting the obligations of the UNCRPD is one of progressive realisation - each year moving forward on key reforms, with the obligations arising from the Convention being met over time. Initial priority has been given to meeting legislative commitments and requirements.
Ireland submitted its Initial State Report on the implementation of the UNCRPD to the UN Committee in November 2021, following extensive consultation with persons with disabilities, disabled persons organisations, representative organisations, and families. My Department is currently awaiting a review date from the UN Committee to evaluate progress made to date. The review was originally anticipated to occur in 2022. However, this has been postponed due to backlogs at UN level. There is no indication at this time on a likely date for Ireland’s appearance at the Committee.
My Department coordinates delivery of two whole-of-government national strategies, which aim to support delivery of Ireland's obligations under the UNCRPD.
Firstly, the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS), contains 123 actions to support effective progress in meeting the needs of people with disabilities in Ireland. Implementation of the NDIS is monitored in regular NDIS Steering Group meetings through a reporting system which requires Government Departments and Agencies to detail their progress biannually. The group is supported by independent analysis and advice from the National Disability Authority (NDA).
Secondly, the Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES), is the primary disability employment policy initiative in Ireland. It is a cross-government approach, bringing together actions by Government Departments and Agencies to address the barriers and challenges to the employment of persons with disabilities. Implementation of the CES is undertaken through agreed action plans and is monitored by an Implementation Group with an independent chairperson.
While there is still much work to be done, important progress has been made in implementing the UNCRPD to date. This includes the formation of a number of whole-of-government working groups to address specific challenges in areas such as transitions across state services, transport and the use of assistive technologies. Various policy actions and financial supports have also been introduced under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy to address the specific challenges faced by persons with disabilities in accessing equal employment. The introduction of the Access and Inclusion Model for early learning and care and the legal recognition granted to Irish Sign Language are also key achievements.
On 1st May this year I introduced the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2022 to the Dáil, and will work with colleagues to see the law passed before the end of the summer session. This will be a key step in Ireland's realisation of the Convention, and will introduce a number of important legislative reforms, such as the abolition of wardship and the establishment of new, rights based decision support arrangements, a doubling of the statutory minimum targets for the employment of persons with disabilities, legislating for IHREC's role as the monitoring body for the UNCRPD, and removing references to persons of "unsound mind" standing for election.
