Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is our wish as a Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities this year. It is still our intention to do so. We have run into some difficulties, in particular with the enabling legislation and the deprivation of liberty. The Deputy will know that Ireland takes a different approach from that taken by other countries. Other countries sign a convention, ratify it and then introduce the enabling legislation. Countries such as Romania and Italy, which do not treat people with disabilities as well as we do in Ireland, have ratified the convention. Countries do take very different approaches. We are considering the possibility of ratifying the convention pending the completion of the legislation, but that is a matter that requires further investigation. It is very much our desire, however, to ratify the convention before the end of the year, ideally before December, or 3 December, which is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as the Deputy knows.

On the new decision-making capacity service, the director has now been appointed. She is now in place and she is recruiting staff to get the service up and running.

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