Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to speak to amendments Nos. 6 and 8 as well. As Deputy Clare Daly said, it is vital we use disability neutral language in legislation. Particularly after the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, we should be very careful and use disability neutral language when we are drafting legislation. What we are doing in legislation should not cause further difficulties for people with disabilities in dealing with the law.

Language is important; we must, therefore, get it right. This has been mentioned by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Law Reform Commission and Inclusion Ireland. These amendments attempt to provide such neutral language and the same cover as was the original intention of the legislation.

The difference between amendments Nos. 5 and 6 is simply that the former is responsible for faith formation and we have had a discussion on that. As regards amendment No. 8, it is important to change the language used in the definition of a relevant person. The Bill states that a relevant person is a person who has a mental or intellectual disability or a mental illness. That is not a proper use of language, however. The amendment provides for more neutral language that gives the exact same cover, in effect, as has been outlined earlier. That is, therefore, very important.

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