Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

That dialogue is especially important. In my constituency we have an excellent organisation that is both a service provider and DPO, the Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living. There is a network around the country. I have always found it to be a great sounding board in terms of being able to meet with it, talk to people with disabilities, and have engagement on legislation or policies I am working on in my Department.

Ireland has to report to the overseeing body for the UNCRPD on how we are doing as a country in terms of DPOs. We have submitted our first report. Because of Covid, there has been a long delay in countries being brought to Geneva to be accountable for their particular report. I have gone through two of those reports for the UN convention on human rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They were really useful in terms of getting feedback from the United Nations experts on how Ireland is responding to those conventions. I hope before the end of my term we will get an opportunity to be reviewed on our compliance with the UNCRPD, including on DPOs.

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