Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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810. To ask the Minister for Health if the disability inclusion strategy 2016-21 is fully inclusive and representative of the issues faced by those in the 18 to 65 years of age demographic who have acquired a disability and live in their own homes in view of the recommendation of the Culliton and O'Malley report of July 2018 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24071/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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To support people with a disability, significant resources have been invested by the health sector in disability services over the past number of years. HSE specialist disability services focus on enabling people with disabilities to achieve their full potential. This is about living ordinary lives in ordinary places, as independently as possible, while ensuring that the voices of service users and their families are heard, and that they are fully involved in planning and improving services to meet their needs.   

The majority of people with a disability live in their family home, with a proportion of people in receipt of specialist disability services residing in long term residential care facilities. Those living in the family home or their own home are supported through a range of service provision, including adult day services, personal assistance and home support Hours and respite services. Supports are provided by the HSE either directly or through partner organisations, prioritised according to need and within the resources available.  

Responsibility for the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy currently lies with the Department of Justice and Equality, and that function is in the process of transferring to the come under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration.  

I am informed that the Department of Justice and Equality is seeking to develop a consultation and participation model within the context of the Strategy in line with the obligations that arise under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD),in partnership with relevant stakeholders. A key part of this will be to increase capacity for consultation with people with disabilities and establish improved mechanisms and support to enable these consultations.  

Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in March 2018. The Convention imposes obligations on the State to ensure effective consultation with and participation by persons with Disabilities. Specifically Articles 4 and 5 require States Parties to ‘closely consult and actively involve persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities’ in the development and implementation of legislation and policies concerning persons with disabilities.

The Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is an international treaty that establishes two procedures aimed at strengthening the implementation and monitoring of the Convention.  The first is an individual communications procedure allowing individuals to bring petitions to the Committee claiming breaches of their rights; the second is an inquiry procedure giving the Committee authority to undertake inquiries of grave or systematic violations of the Convention.

The Programme for Government reiterates the commitment to ratify the Optional Protocol after the first reporting cycle. The Government priorities remain focused on addressing the remaining legislative measures to be taken to give full effect to the Convention.

Other priorities are the submission of the CRPD Initial State Report and developing an implementation plan to coordinate implementation of the UNCRPD.