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

We all want a country where people with disabilities and their families do not feel they need to take up the provisions of the optional protocol and feel that Ireland is meeting their full rights under the UNCRPD. We know we are not there yet and have a lot of work to do to get to that place. We have been able to do some important things in the past four and a half years, particularly since disability came over to my Department, but we recognise there is still a big gap. One of the ways we are recognising this is putting in this new level of accountability. We can now be held accountable in front of the world when we have not met our international commitments to people with disabilities. The United Nations will have its own mechanism in terms of how people access it. Many DPOs across the country will be looking to support cases and submissions. Our Department actively supports DPOs. Sometimes it will be a stick to beat our own back with but that has to be done because we have to have accountability if the State fails people with a disability.

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