Ms María Teresa Fernández Molina:

There are three different levels: local, national and municipal. The powers mainly reside in the autonomous communities. However, at legislative level, it is the state that decides on the guidelines for its development. In my opinion, being part of the convention, as well as being able to ratify the agreements of the convention and the protocol, benefits persons with disabilities, in the sense that the national reports help us to take legislative measures. Then, via the transfer to the autonomous communities, competencies can be implemented afterwards. Also, the organisations representing people with disabilities provide a very important service, both to people with disabilities and to their families. They provide support, via the creation of residencies and social services support. They also help in decision-making. Every time a rule or regulation is created, it is binding in its application in the full territory of Spain. It is, therefore, important to conduct continued assessment on our decisions, so that we can make better decisions at every step. This is essential to give people with disabilities the possibility to enjoy the same and equal rights to the rest of the citizens. In this regard, today, in Spain, we are working very actively. Actually, we are going to modify the Spanish constitution to change the wording we use to refer to disabled people. We will include the term “persons with disabilities”, instead of “disabled people”. This is an important step. In Spain, we have a rule of law where people with disabilities should be able to enjoy full legal, judicial, and social capacities and to live autonomous lives. Every year, national reports will always include recommendations to improve the quality of life and equal rights for this community. The Government of Spain takes this very seriously.