Dr. Iris Elliott:

I thank the Senator for his kind words about IHREC and our participation in the committee's work. We very much appreciate it. I will particularly focus on the area of participation and citizen-generated and community-based data collection, which I have referred to as one of the five types of data that are valuable to the implementation of CRPD, although some of the comments have wider relevance. I reinforce what Nem Kearns has just said about the importance of an intersectional lens. The CRPD committee will expect that when it reviews Ireland's performance with regard to race, gender and all equality groups.

It is important to follow the money and analyse what funding is available for data work and research. I wish to flag that the OECD has introduced a disability marker in funding research so we can track how much goes to disability research. There are layers in terms of the other types of research are undertaken so we must discern whether it is ethical research or human rights-based or equality-based research. I will send further information to the committee about the work that was done at a European level through a pol-res project so it was evidence-based policy making and was very much focused on scientific integrity. There is a whole chapter in the handbooks on CRPD, scientific integrity and ethical research.

I want to pick up on the points made about engagement with the university. This is one of the areas we should consider in terms of public sector duty. As part of one of our pilot programmes we engaged with universities about the implementation of the public sector duty. In our research and data work we have always called for the diversification of the research community. I am conscious that some of our conversation so far has quite rightly been focused on consultation, engagement and the role of the DPO network. In some ways that is an external voice in terms of the work that we do on research and data. It is very important that all universities and other academic settings, plus other research institutes, are accountable in terms of their reporting around how many disabled researchers they have in their community. They are also accountable for ensuring that current and next-generation researchers get clear training, and we know how many disabled people are being trained and then how many are employed in the public service and Civil Service.

I wish to draw the attention of committee members to a recent report entitled Ableism in Academia Ireland, which was compiled by a group of colleagues at Trinity College Dublin. The report was presented to our disability advisory committee on Monday. The report is a resource because it really speaks to the challenges that are being faced by disabled people who are pursuing a professional career in academia.

I also wish to flag that IHREC, as part of its equality data work, will conduct a number of regional events over the course of the year. It will specifically engage with universities, including equality, diversity and inclusion, EDI, departments but also, more broadly, with academic colleagues. Again, that is another reason I will look forward to this committee's report as it will inform our thinking about that type of engagement.