William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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880. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the first quarter-by-quarter milestone commitments which are under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025 2030; the way in which her Department will monitor progress; the resourcing in place to ensure the strategy delivers for people with disabilities in terms of employment, independent living and full participation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61519/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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On September 3rd, I was proud to launch the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which is Ireland's framework for the advancement of the rights articulated for disabled people in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This is an ambitious strategy that has been co-designed with disabled people to progressively realise these rights in ways that will deliver maximum benefit.

The Strategy will be delivered across three two-year Programme Plans of Action, ensuring an agile and reflexive approach to delivery that is capable of tackling policy issues as they arise across the lifetime of the Strategy. These Programme Plans will set out how the key priority actions under each commitment will be delivered on, by whom, the timeframe for delivery, and relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This Department is currently engaging across Government to develop the first Programme Plans for 2025-2026.

Robust delivery and monitoring structures have been co-designed with stakeholders to ensure oversight and accountability throughout the lifetime of the Strategy, with a strong focus on supporting collaborative work across government and on active problem solving, reflecting a transformative step-change in the delivery of disability policy and services.

At the highest level, the Cabinet Committee on Disability is responsible for overseeing the delivery of actions and commitments contained within the Strategy, and all groups responsible for delivery will be accountable to this Cabinet Committee. Every six months the Taoiseach will chair a Delivery and Monitoring Committee to oversee progress, reflecting commitment to delivery at the highest levels of this Government; this group will also have representation from the disabled community.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality operates as the mandated "coordination mechanism" for the UNCRPD in Ireland. However, Government is committed to the mainstream-first approach to policy that is promoted by the Convention, meaning that it is incumbent on every public body to deliver their services in a fashion that is inclusive of the needs of disabled people. This is reflected in the Strategy by the emphasis on sectoral delivery, wherein commitments and supporting actions are to be delivered by the department or agency with the relevant policy remit.

In line with this approach, resourcing of commitments under the Strategy is a matter to be taken up as part of department's annual budgetary processes.