Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I seem to have been struck by the curse of Dáil déjà vubecause I recall raising the issue of Ireland's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, this time last year, almost to the day. One year on, we appear to be in exactly the same position, unless the Minister of State is about to tell the House otherwise.

Last Sunday was International Day of Disabled Persons and after 11 years, we still have not ratified the UNCRPD. In fact, Ireland is the only country in Europe not to ratify the convention. Over 200 countries in the world have ratified the convention. Last year, I emphasised that key legislation underpinning the convention could be passed by this House even before the convention is ratified.

The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, has a track record on this, but he has staked his reputation on this matter and it has still not been ratified. Waiting for the convention to be ratified is like "Waiting for Godot". This is a human rights issue. This is about equality in Ireland.

Last week, as the Minister of State will be aware, a good campaigner, John Doyle, who was incredibly vocal on disability, passed away. I will read what he stated in a blog about the non-ratification of the UNCRPD because it is poignant. He wrote:

December 3rd is International Day of Disabled People. I hate this day for what it has become. It was to be a day of celebration of inclusion and equality but instead every year we get an endless parade of politicians lining up to put a positive spin on having done nothing to really address the inequalities faced by disabled people.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability (UNCRPD) was signed in 2006 by the Irish Government and a full ten years later and several governments on, it has still not been ratified. The lack of ratifying this document has left disabled people with no recourse to enforceable laws which would have given some protection against the myriad of institutional abuses we have seen over the last 10 years.

We still have not ratified the UNCRPD. It is incredible. People in this country are extremely angry and they will voice their protest on Saturday at 12 o'clock at the GPO. Has the Minister of State any good news for the 600,000 people with disabilities in this country who want to see this ratified?

See this speech in context