Dr. Fergal Lynch:

I am happy to respond. I thank the Senator for those questions and I hope I do them justice. In terms of what remains to be done on implementation, it is helpful to note that the NDA has done a gap analysis on what is currently in place and what needs to be done to achieve implementation of the convention, and that is important work.

Related to that is how Departments are working together. Our overall structure is one that has worked quite well, even if it is quite complicated. There is a steering group in regard to the national disability inclusion strategy, NDIS, chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and there is a steering group in regard to the comprehensive employment strategy, chaired by Fergus Finlay. Both of those have worked throughout the Covid pandemic, met throughout that time and worked closely on the different areas of concern. In terms of moving it forward and ensuring that we make the sort of progress we want to make, in many of the areas raised by the Senator, the response will involve the development of an implementation plan, which we are committed to doing.

We have started work on that with an initial discussion with the steering group on the NDIS in terms of what that might look like. That is going to be a key document, which we hope to produce between now and the end of the year, with a view to publishing it early in 2022. It will contain a number of specific provisions relating to how best to implement the UN convention in all of its areas. One of the things it will do is to highlight and identify the areas that are not yet adequately dealt with and where gaps arise, arising from the analysis that the NDA has carried out. That is going to be an important component of this. We hope to have a draft followed by a consultation process on that in the autumn. That will make a significant difference in how best we advance all of these different components to make sure it is properly and genuinely implemented.

Rather than necessarily having a separate roadmap, it seems the implementation plan will be the way forward. I am conscious that the strategy is due to expire next year, having been consciously extended by a year, and it may be that the way forward in that regard is to merge or effectively group the two together to turn the implementation plan and effectively to represent it as the next national disability inclusion strategy, while also having regard to the employment components.

On the employment side, there are a number of important initiatives, and I mentioned Employers for Change earlier. In terms of our employment record for people with disabilities, one of the things that the assisted decision making (capacity) legislation will do is to provide formally for the public sector to set a target of 6% employment of people with a disability as opposed to the current 3% target. That was provided for originally in the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill of the previous Oireachtas, which lapsed on the dissolution of the previous Dáil. I am happy that the provisions relating to employment of people with a disability - the increase from 3% to 6% - will be included in that legislation.

Funding is a key issue for us. In future, there will be the national development plan, there will be budgetary arguments and negotiations in the normal way and there will be the normal interaction with individuals and organisations as we go through. Clearly, this is an important part of what we are doing and we want to get it right. I hope that covers the main elements of the Senator's questions.