Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I concur with Deputies Stanton and Lynch on this. It is not unreasonable that a review should begin at the end of the third year, on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve. It should begin within a maximum of two years of operation or three years from enactment. I would go further and argue that the review should be completed within a set timeframe. We do not have that luxury at this stage, but the review should cover specific areas which the Minister of State has not allowed, as yet. In particular, I have in mind the definition of disability, as mentioned previously.

It is not I or some highly paid lawyer who has come up with the great fact that the disability definition contained within this legislation is at odds with the definition contained within the Equal Status Act or in the employment equality legislation. It is ridiculous that we have several definitions of disability. The definition should be the same across the board. That is what the Opposition, those who took part in the consultative process as well as other organisations such as the Equality Authority sought when this Bill was being put together.

In the February 2003 document, Equal Citizens: Proposals for Core Elements of Disability Legislation, it was felt at that stage that there should be a review within two years of operation or three years since enactment. It also said that there should be a review of the definition of disability using the proposed legislation as well as other provisions. The Minister of State should listen at this stage, take this on board and I hope we can come back in two or three years and correct the wrong he is about to put in place this week.

See this speech in context