Micheál Carrigy (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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824. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in view of the findings of the Farrelly Commission, if she will ensure that all future inquiry reports concerning disabled people are published simultaneously in accessible formats, including easy read, audio, Irish sign language and plain English, with advance survivor briefings, as required under the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52106/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Government is committed to ensuring that information and communication issued across all government departments and public bodies is in formats that are accessible to disabled people, including in easy-to-read and plain English formats.

The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 launched on 3rd September sets out a whole-of-Government approach to disability and to progressively realising the rights of disabled people under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Article 9 of the UNCRPD emphasises the importance of accessibility by requiring measures to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to the physical environment, transportation, information and communications, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public. Such measures include identifying and eliminating barriers to accessibility to all public facilities, services and communications.

Following on from its publication, Government is committed to the full implementation of the Strategy including priority actions related to increasing the accessibility of information and communication issued by government departments and public bodies.

The integration of Universal Design principles and good practice is identified within the Strategy as a key cross-cutting capacity strengthening initiative particularly in relation to achieving increased awareness of the imperative to provide more accessible information and services to the public and enhanced delivery of more coordinated action on accessibility across all Government Departments and public bodies.

More specifically, and following on from the publication of the Final Substantive Report and Statement concerning Part X of the Terms of Reference of the Commission of Investigation (Certain matters relative to a disability service in the South East and related matters) (“the Farrelly Commission”), Inclusion Ireland recently published a report titled 'The Right to Justice and Participation: Lessons from the Farrelly Commission’. Recognising the wider implications of the report, I have brought this report to the attention of relevant Government colleagues including the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration who has responsibility for the Commissions of investigations Act 2004.