Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is the only remaining EU member state yet to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Ireland signed the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007 and has since given repeated commitments to ratification, yet it has taken ten years to take into account the need to ensure all necessary legislative and administrative requirements under the convention have been met. The legislation as proposed is still incomplete and does not contain the complete text. The Irish ratification process has been painfully slow.

The purpose of the convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities in all areas of their lives and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

It is welcome that the Government has introduced a Bill to allow us to proceed with ratification. Many people still see themselves as forced to live in inhumane conditions devoid of independence or opportunity to integrate into society. The Bill will strengthen the rights of people with disabilities to equality in the workplace, guarantee their equal legal capacity and ensure their equal participation in public and political life. The general scheme of the Bill is to address these legislative and administrative barriers to ratification. The purpose of the Bill is to amend a number of pieces of legislation so as to address these barriers. A number of other miscellaneous amendments are being made to equality and disability legislation, some of which will have to be made on Committee Stage, in particular the deprivation of liberty issues in head 3.

The omission of the text of these amendments limits the opportunity of many people affected to have an input into the legislative process. Will the Minister of State explain why this is the case? Ms Ann Marie Flanagan, a Clare activist on behalf of disabled persons, recently called on the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to help end the degrading experience felt by people with disabilities across Ireland and to work closely with those who suffer with disabilities. People with disabilities are the experts. Why was consultation with disability representative groups not engaged in prior to the preparation of the Bill?

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