Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will not use the ten minutes allocated. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities obliges countries to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. The committee report calls for a policy response that provides for people with disabilities and their right to live independently in a place of their own choosing, with the freedom to choose and control their lives. Our pursuit of this objective as a State means a fundamental shift in what we have achieved to date. To begin with, it is unnerving to realise that Ireland was the last to ratify the convention, which we did in 2018, some 11 years after we signed it.

The committee has noted that as the ratification of the optional protocol of the UNCRPD has not been undertaken, it means that people with disabilities are effectively unable to make a complaint when they feel that their rights under the convention have been breached. When I realised this, I was left speechless. Such a fundamental provision had been passed over. Let us imagine how that makes people feel. Let us imagine not being able to contribute to such a profound aspect of a convention that is designed to reinforce one's rights. Even the matter of consultation has left much to be desired. Through its engagement with disabled persons' organisations, the committee notes that a significant level of transformation is needed for people with disabilities to be placed meaningfully at the centre of the consultation process. Policies are discussed over the heads of those for whom the decisions are being made. This must stop and the situation must be addressed. The UNCRPD must be followed. There is need for rapid progress. It is shameful to see how people have been either overlooked or just passed over. Either way, it is shameful to realise this has been the case.

Housing, for example, is a key challenge at the moment. The IHREC notes in its report that people with disabilities are twice as likely to report discrimination and inequality in accessing housing and more than 1.6 times more likely to live in poor conditions. People with disabilities are over represented in the homeless population with more than one in four homeless people being disabled. Access to housing is made even more problematic for people with disabilities, insofar as the system of applying for a house and independent living supports is complex and is characterised by a lack of transparency. There is little co-operation between local authorities and the HSE. Aside from the fact that people are being let down in such a dysfunctional system, it must shatter whatever faith people have in the system eventually meeting their needs when there is little co-operation between the HSE and the local authorities. Without this type of co-operation, how can people who are in need of specific housing types ever be sure that they are even being treated appropriately within the system? The committee notes that this has resulted in people with disabilities who are accepted onto the social housing list having to wait longer before receiving housing compared to other people. These factors, alongside the other issues, such as not having an equal choice on where to live or the overall matter of independence makes it obvious that there is a lot to do.

I have only scratched the surface of what is a deeply insightful and detailed report. I will finish by referring to the definition the committee provides on disability-proofing. It is a strategy that aims to make sure that people with a disability and their specific needs are considered and included in the development and delivery of all projects, policies and practices from the earliest possible stage. This must be at the heart of the measures that we as a society and as legislators must implement without delay.

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