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

On a related matter, Mr. Gloster referred to the overlap between health and disability in rehabilitation. In recent weeks, the committee has been looking at the regulation of home care. Something emerged in that discussion I definitely think we should flag. It relates to regulation and the complexity of the overlap between those two systems of the disability sector and health, which we see in other countries as well. The development of that regulation has not clearly made a distinction between disability and those, for example, in the elder care sector. There has not, therefore, been a review of those regulations in the context of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD.

This is never more relevant than in the area of neurorehabilitation, where people might have a health event that then leaves them with a long-term disability requiring long-term care. I would expect, from both the Department dealing with disability and the Department of Health, that when new legislation is being developed, temperature-checking it against the UNCRPD and doing a review would be an automatic thing. There should be somebody in the office who is the expert on the UNCRPD and does a check. The fact that has not been done is of significant concern to me. Is that something the HSE is looking at?