Dr. Emer Begley:

There are some examples where DPOs and disabled people have been consulted on the development of policy. The housing strategy for disabled people is one good example of that. Our DPO colleagues in VVI would be better placed to speak to this but there is no funding stream for DPOs in Ireland so we are asking people to engage in a voluntary capacity and organisations to exist in a vacuum of funding streams. There has been increased demand for consultation with DPOs and disabled people, and rightly so, with the UNCRPD and the obligations under it, but there is no infrastructure that exists to enable that to be done in a meaningful way.

We have already mentioned that disability has to be a priority in the new office to be established in August 2026. We would see it as an obligation under each of the national authorities which have responsibility around this. I think there are 15. This is a really good starting place to have a conversation, but we are three organisations and there are many more across all the different types of disabilities.