Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My question relates to promised legislation. The Dáil ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 7 March last. It is an important element of any international agreement that those who do not receive proper treatment by the State under the agreement have a system of recourse at international level. The Government has failed to ratify the optional protocol to the UN convention, which provides a means of ensuring the rights set out in the convention are affirmed and provided for. It is important for this to be done in tandem with the promised confirmation that the convention itself has been ratified. There has been a failure to ratify the protocol. There are 11,393 people with disabilities in County Laois and 11,154 people with disabilities in County Offaly, to mention just two of the 26 counties in this State. We need legislation to ensure the optional protocol provides redress and recourse to those people who feel failed under the current system. When will such legislation be introduced and enacted? When will the Government ensure people with disabilities enjoy full rights?

See this speech in context