Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason for the six month delay in publishing the National Disability Strategy recession implementation plan promised by the renewed programme for Government 2009; and the responsibilities of his Department that the plan is likely to include. [13062/10]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The key elements of the National Disability Strategy are: the Disability Act 2005; the Citizen's Information Act, 2007; the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004; Sectoral Plans and a multi-annual investment programme that was targeted at high-priority disability support services. The Strategy is, in large measure, being implemented.

The Deputy will be aware that all six Government Departments recently completed reports on the progress of their sectoral plans over the three year period 2006-2009 as provided for under the Disability Act 2005. While the serious Exchequer situation, in so far as its impact on delivery of disability programmes is concerned, is primarily a matter for the Departments which have sectoral plans, the overall situation continues to be reviewed by the Senior Officials Group on Disability as well as the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group. Implementation of the various legislative measures also continues to be reviewed by the relevant Departments and by the Senior Officials and Monitoring Groups.

The question of an overall strategy will be assessed further in the light of the detailed examination by each of the relevant Departments of their own responsibilities and of the budgetary situation. My own Department does not have direct responsibility for sectoral plans or for implementation of the various legislative measures.