Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Ratification of the Optional Protocol is a commitment in the Programme for Government. The timeline for ratifying the Optional Protocol was anticipated to follow the conclusion of Ireland’s first review period before the UN Committee. Ireland submitted its first State Report in November 2021 and we await a review date from the UN Committee.

Ireland fully ratified the UNCRPD in 2018 and the Government remains committed to continuously advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. Ratification of the Optional Protocol is not a precondition to the implementation of the UNCRPD.

I am open to earlier ratification of the Optional Protocol, subject to the State being in a position to meet the obligations that arise. In order to map out the requirements for ratification my Department has commissioned external legal advice as part of an ongoing scoping exercise. Once I have received and considered the scoping advices I will engage with my cabinet colleagues as a matter of urgency and I have instructed my officials to establish an inter-departmental group to work through complexities with colleagues.

The ongoing scoping work is a necessary exercise in due diligence for the state to agree to any supra-national review process. Ireland takes its international obligations seriously, and seeks to act in good faith on the international stage; we do not enter into binding international treaties until we are confident that the obligations set out within can be complied with.

It is also important to note that the UN Committee already monitor and evaluate Ireland’s implementation of the UNCRPD through examinations of periodic State Reports. Examinations carried out at UN Reviews are robust and the State takes the Concluding Observations of UN Committees very seriously should implementation in relation to any particular right need to be strengthened.