Mr. Peter Kearns:

I thank the Deputy for the question. Regarding the UNCRPD, I actually worked on the UN convention 20 years ago in New York, on the arts and DPOs. It might be better to show the Deputy a good example of the State working with local DPOs. I live in Sligo so we work with the local authority. There is a Sligo DPO and they are working with the county council to inform its culture and diversity programme. I am chairperson of the Glens Centre in Leitrim and we have disabled acts through the whole programme not just for disabled people but right throughout the whole programme of the arts centre. I am not saying there should be special arts programme but to have disability arts running through the whole programme of the arts centre. There are examples around the UNCRPD, especially going back to Article 4.3, which says states should engage with DPOs both locally and nationally. We have some good examples of that. In terms of my big film, I was the dramatist, actor and executive producer on that for six years. When it worked with the Arts Council, ILMI had a really positive experience, which showed how a DPO could not only engage the actors we worked with but also, more important, the cultural and aesthetic area of representation of impairment. We have disabled actors on stage. I worked with the Abbey Theatre 20 years ago and we had no disabled actors. We had ten plays that looked at disability but no disabled actors or writers. We have shown the intended power of the collective voice of DPOs. There are examples of good practice out there where we can realise Article 30 of the UNCRPD.