Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ireland has come in for much criticism by the UN for its failure to ratify the UNCRPD. Mr. Markus Schefer, a member of the UN Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said it gives the impression that Ireland is not confident or comfortable enough to open itself up to international scrutiny. He was speaking to the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. Ireland signed the convention in 2007 but it took us 11 years to implement it. In 2020, the Government promised to sign up to the optional protocol. I understand that we have been delayed by the UN but it is two years further on. When I brought little Leo Dixon to the Dáil, every Member was notified of his visit but only a handful turned up to meet and greet him. A wheelchair user. A person with a disability. Have I had two minutes?

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