Mr. Liam Herrick:

We are not familiar with the details of the individual case, but it engages with two questions that are integrated throughout our report, the first of which is whether questions about the design of services properly take into account the impact the design of those services will have on the rights of people with disabilities. The second question is whether, when decisions are taken which affect somebody, that person has the right to consultation and participation in those decisions. It is a constant pattern we see that services are designed around questions of organisational necessity, efficiency and so on, but are not properly grounded in respect for the right to independent living, family life and so on. When decisions are taken that have a huge and sometimes devastating impact on the quality of life of an individual and a family, there is not a proper regard to the need to listen to that person, engage with them and find an appropriate solution. Without knowing the specifics, these are general points that come up at all stages in our report.

On the question of housing and where housing may be provided and the lack of staff, one of the key points we make in our report is the central function of personal assistants in vindicating rights to independent living and rights more generally.

The right to a personal assistance service that engages with all aspects of somebody's life, not just going to school or work but the totality of their life, is a major problem. We have called for a review of the Disability Act. We do not yet have visibility of what the parameters might be. We have sought engagement with the Minister for children, disability and equality on this and other issues. We have made a number of submissions about what we feel the parameters should be for such a review. We do not have a sense of that yet.