Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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710. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way in which persons with disabilities, including children, and their representative organisations will be involved and participate fully in the monitoring process of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16934/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Participation in of people with disabilities and their representative organisations is a requirement under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

My Department has recently funded and established a Disability Participation and Consultation Network to act as a mechanism for ensuring people with disabilities and their representative organisations are consulted and involved in the development of policy and legislation. In addition, some Departments and Agencies have already established participation and consultation mechanisms.

The Disability Participation and Consultation Network is currently involved in carrying out consultations with people with disabilities on the State’s draft Initial State report under the UNCRPD. In addition, my Department is carrying out consultation work with children, including children with disabilities, that will inform a number of our UN reporting processes including the UNCRPD.

In addition my Department is providing funding for the Shadow Report being prepered by the Coalition of Disabled Persons Organisations.

The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a UNCRPD Implementation plan. A key aspect of that Plan will be building an oversight mechanism. The Oversight mechanism will be designed to ensure people with disabilities and their representative organisations play a central role in monitoring progress of the plan.

Currently the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) is the key framework for policy and action to address the needs of persons with disabilities. The NDIS supports effective progress in delivering on the obligations set out in the Convention. The Disability Stakeholder Group, which is made up of representatives of disability organisations and people with lived experience of disability, is part of the NDIS Steering Group. As such, it plays an active part in monitoring implementation of the strategy.

In respect of independent monitoring of the implementation of the UNCRPD, it is the State’s intention to designate IHREC as Ireland’s Independent Monitoring Mechanism. This designation will be provided for in legislation. IHREC has already established a Disability Advisory Committee in this regard.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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711. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the disability participation and consultation network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16935/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities attaches priority to consulting people with disabilities and to encouraging their participation in the development of policy and legislation. The Disability Participation and Consultation Network was established in 2020 as a mechanism to ensure that people with a disability and their representative organisations will be involved in the development of policy and legislation.

The Network is made up of an Organising Member and four Grant Funded Members who play a central role in coordinating and organising the the work of the Network. The remaining membership of the Network is made up of organisations and indviduals with lived experience of disability.

While the Network is free to set its own agenda for engaging in particpation and consultation work, my Department requested that consultations on the draft initial State Report on the United Nations Convention on the RIghts of Persons with Disabilities be undertaken by the Network. Along with establishing its working practices and procedures, the Network has focused initially on the draft State Report. The Organising Member has run a series of consultation events for members on the draft State Report and the outcomes of those events will be reported to my Department. In addition, the Grant Funded Members have also been involved in consultations with their stakeholders on the draft State Report.