John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The ombudsman reminded me in December of the 700 plus people with disabilities in the European Parliament. I had the honour of leading an 11-strong Irish delegation. One was from Kerry, so that is parish-pump at its best. The Chairman might consider inviting some of those people to listen to what they have to say about their experiences. In fairness to Ireland, the European Down's syndrome delegation was made up entirely of Irish people. There was an Irish woman on the European Alzheimer's disease group. There was a fine presentation of people from Ireland. That makes the point that Irish groups, whether disability-related or otherwise, want to participate and have an interest in participating in matters at a European level. The ombudsman mentioned the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Government committed two weeks ago to having it ratified by the end of next month. We have got a lot of slagging internationally for being the last country in Europe to do so but I am convinced that Ireland can come out strongly over the next years and show what it can do. The ombudsman mentioned big, multi-national agencies, including the European Disability Forum, the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities, and the Social Platform. They do not have three dozen staff between them and are trying to work for people with disabilities and others. There are real issues between who has the money to get selective knowledge and insider information. I thank the Chairman for his indulgence and tolerance.