Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

265. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to respond to correspondence received from an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30447/24]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Disability, I welcome these submissions which note a range of significant issues affecting the lives of disabled people.

They provide a helpful and insightful outline of key issues related to disability policy and in particular the role of Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs) in collective advocacy and engagement.

In line with our commitments under Article 4(3) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, my Department is committed to the principle of “nothing about us, without us” and the imperative that DPOs be involved in the development and implementation of policy. This commitment is borne out in our approach to the development of the next National Disability Strategy, where my officials have engaged regularly, meaningfully and collaboratively with DPOs. Co-designed with stakeholders, this strategy will embed structures for ongoing engagement, while also tackling with ambition many of the issues raised in documents enclosed across, for example, employment, education, transport and accessibility.

A public consultation highlighting these issues and others has recently concluded and included more than 30 focus groups, 18 interviews, 500 responses to a national survey and 5 town hall events around the country and online. Engagement is ongoing across government, with DPOs and other disability stakeholders for the development of ambitious and transformative actions that will answer this consultation and advance the implementation of the UNCRPD in Ireland.