Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Professor Quinn for attending the meeting. I have a number of quick questions. He touched on the matter relating to one of my first questions, about whether the current legislation is fit for purpose both in terms of its definition of disability and in supporting the work of this committee. Professor Quinn has spoken a bit about that. I am interested in his opinion on whether the charitable status of section 38 and 39 organisations, which are such a major provider of services in the State, has an impact on our ability to conform to the requirements of the UNCRPD in the future. I think in particular of our inability to audit them through the Comptroller and Auditor General, which we would be able to do if they were Government bodies. I am interested in whether Professor Quinn would see the non-State status of some of the services we provide as a barrier.

Professor Quinn is correct. The energy in the committee is brilliant in terms of making this really meaningful for the community of people with disabilities, but I fear that we will focus more on the Article 4.3 side of things and listening to people's experience and less on the monitoring side. For it to be meaningful, I think we need to start talking very early in the process about the metrics and how we are going to measure this. I am interested in hearing Professor Quinn's views on that because I am aware that the convention requires states, in accordance with their legal and administrative systems, to maintain, strengthen, designate or establish a framework to promote the text and monitor implementation of the convention. I was wondering about the use of the small word "or". In Professor Quinn's estimation, what is expected of us in two years' time or whenever we make a report on the UNCRPD? What would the evaluation look like? I want to make sure that we are really effecting change, that the change is measurable and that we can hold people to account. For me, that means having fairly hard data. I am interested in that area.