Results 5,081-5,100 of 11,700 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the committee members for the invitation to speak to and discuss this with them today. I acknowledge the significant cross-party work this committee does to vindicate the rights of persons with disabilities, particularly to advance that under the wider rubric of the UNCRPD. Once the transfer of functions to my Department is completed, I look forward to more and deeper engagement...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As Deputy Ellis will know, Ireland's approach to the implementation of the UNCRPD is one of progressive realisation. It is gradual, extending the rights and improving the systems, and I believe the change we are about to see from 1 March in terms of bringing disability under one Department is part of that progressive realisation. That is a process that has gone far too slowly, and no doubt...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Not in terms of the fact we have not ratified the optional protocol. The decision to ratify the UNCRPD itself and the optional protocol are both decisions that the independent Government of Ireland makes or does not make, and there is no consequence for not signing up. Once we sign up and we do not adhere to rights, there are then very real consequences. That is good and what we want, but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: We have no indication as to when we will have our hearing before the UN committee. It is delayed significantly at UN level. I had assumed it would take place this year but it could well not happen before 2024. As Minister, I would have found it useful to have gone through that process. I have done it for the human rights committee and next week, I will be doing it for the Committee on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: On the failure to implement the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015, the fact that we had wardship in place was a clear violation of Article 12 of the convention. In order to undertake ratification of the optional protocol and in order to be in a position where we could reasonably say to the United Nations that we are compliant, we had to take the measures to address the fact that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: To begin with, as the Deputy will be aware from our discussions on the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act 2022, I believe the measures we have taken in that Act are compliant with the UNCRPD. That is the position of the Government in terms of the principles that are woven into 2015 and 2022 Acts. The fact that the support for a person's will and preference is reiterated...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: The decision was made to treat these cases in the way in which we treat family law cases, namely, holding them in camera, because of the sensitivity of the issues being addressed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is not journalists, but an academic study. Probably the best similarity, or what certainly I had in mind when we made the amendment, is an approach such as that relating to the reporting system which operates in the family law courts and which provides annual or biannual reports on 40 or 50 anonymised cases. Those involved observe proceedings in these cases and are able to give...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I will take the Deputy's point on board. I would say we will be looking. The Act also provides for three new Circuit Court judges to be appointed, because there is pressure on the docket of the Circuit Court. The judges who will work on this legislation will have specific training in implementing the specific provisions but I take the point. It is important there is consistency. This is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I share the Deputy's and the committee's desire to see the optional protocol signed and fully ratified. That is why we place the focus on getting the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Act passed. It look longer than I wished but the final product is better. The Deputy made the point that legislation has to be there, but it has to be fit for purpose. The delay over the summer...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: As I have said in reply to other members, I want the optional protocol ratified and to see that route towards the vindication of rights if those rights have not been fulfilled in Ireland or I want at least the opportunity to highlight them that the individual complaints mechanism provides. We do have sets of remedies here. The core one is through the courts, which is difficult and can be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Senator for his contribution and for speaking so clearly to the reality for so many parents and children and adults with disabilities. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I absolutely recognise delays and the failure to provide services in a timely manner are having a massive impact on lives and on the ability of both children and adults to live the full lives they could...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Yes, absolutely. I thank the Deputy. As she knows, the amendment Act was singed by the President on 17 December. The passing of the Act allows me as Minister to start with the commencement of sections of both it and the original 2015 Act we were amending. We are engaging with the decision support service, DSS, as the body that will actually operate the legislation. There are five pieces...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: There are regulations around assisted decision-making and around fees, remuneration and expenses. It is the basic-level stuff but it is still really important to having this system-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: -----operational. What I said to the Chair earlier was we are just finalising a running order and a schedule for getting each of those sets of regulations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Early this year we hope to have the DSS up and running.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: One final element is that, as the Deputy knows, the legislation allowed us get three additional Circuit Court judges, which is important because they will be doing much of the work on the applications. That was approved as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: Like any organisation, it will say it would like more funding. That has, however, grown and there was a significant increase in the past two years, recognising that the DSS was about to go live.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: A significant amount of work on this took place last year, particularly perhaps in banks and financial institutions that will be impacted. As the Deputy is aware, we had hoped to have it operational from June 2022, but we made the decision to take a bit longer with the legislation to improve elements of it. Work has been undertaken, therefore, in terms of training around it. The DSS will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UNCRPD and the Optional Protocol (Resumed): Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (19 Jan 2023)

Roderic O'Gorman: I think it will be ongoing.