Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 October 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters

Participation of People with Disabilities in Political, Cultural, Community and Public Life: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Pauline TullyPauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for joining us today and sharing their experiences with us. Ireland has a disgraceful history of almost trying to hide disabled people or certainly treating them as a charitable model or a dependent model. We saw how quickly that could change when we referred to Catherine's law. Catherine Gallagher was able to keep her disability payment while receiving her PhD funding and rightly so. More needs to change.

I ask Ms Ó Brolcháin Carmody and Ms Conway to outline if there is a best practice we could follow from a different country. Mr. Sinnott mentioned Norway. Does any other country have better practice doing this? I had recent engagement with a disabled person who wants to start his own business and he found that no supports are available to enable him to do that. The supports are available to employ somebody with a disability, but not for self-employed people. I am working on something with him to try to change that but I would welcome any advice the witnesses have.

As this committee is tasked with the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we need to interpret it properly and ensure that other Departments do likewise. I thank Mr. Sinnott for his legal advice an Article 4.3. A register of disabled persons organisations is vital if the proper consultation is going to take place with the Disability Participation and Consultation Network, DPCN, or with any Department or local authority. How should that be done? I know Deputy Wynne submitted a parliamentary question on this. The committee needs to follow up on that to ensure it is done. They mentioned that they are the new experts. I do not think they are the new experts, but they are experts who have not been utilised or listened to up to now. That would be very important.

Mr. Kerr also mentioned personalised budgets, which are also very important. If the convention is to be implemented properly, it is vital for people to have choice. People cannot have choice unless they control their own finances so that they can decide what they need in their life, whether that is a personal assistant, assistive technology or whatever. The national advocacy service is vital so that people have the ability to make that choice for themselves. We need to move to that. Much work needs to be done in this country before we get near that, but it is the role of the committee to ensure that. I would appreciate any support and advice the witnesses can give us.

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