Dr. Iris Elliott:

One view is that we benefit from the fact that we ratified the UNCRPD so late because so much work has already been done to set up monitoring frameworks and key indicators by the UN and other actors. That framework is what should be used for the national disability strategy and disability rights more generally in Ireland. If we use systems of metrics that are developed globally, they will enable us to measure domestically and to compare ourselves against other UN member states. Those are very comprehensive metrics. The work is already done. The issue now is probably selecting which of those to use and we are doing some work in that area ourselves. That relies on good data and evidence. As I said earlier, we have an equality data strategy in draft which has simply not been progressed and published. We need to do a whole reform of the data infrastructure in Ireland in order that we can realise Article 31 of the UNCRPD in particular. A lot of work has already been done. It is just an implementation issue at this point.

We are also about to publish what we are calling the core components of a national equality strategy. That would include the disability strategy, even though as Liam has mentioned, it is now being called a human rights strategy. We identify five core components including things like data evaluation, accountability, participation, and what we call collaborative governance. It is very much about working with rights holders and civil society in terms of the design, delivery, implementation and review of policy. One thing we would stress, particularly given that we lived through the pandemic recently, is the need for policy to be flexible so that if there are emerging issues, we can respond to them.