Joint Oireachtas Committee on UN CRPD implementation a game changer?

DFI welcomes the establishment of a Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN CRPD implementation and monitoring in the programme for Government, which we lobbied hard for.  

We believe this has the potential to become the “public accounts” committee for people with disabilities. It can be a powerful voice for those who so often are marginalised. It can highlight the many gaps between aspiration and provision in State services  

DFI and our 120 member organisations are looking forward to working with the committee as it facilitates the important role played by the disability movement.  

However, this new Oireachtas Committee  must ensure that all departments and public bodies will work together towards the common goal. Which is advancing the implementation of the UN CRPD.  

The disability section in the programme for Government repeatedly states an intent to achieve the necessary coordination and cooperation across the broad sweep of departments and public bodies. There is reference to “better implementation”, “better working across Government”, “better implementation and collaboration” and to “coordinate implementation of the UN CRPD”. We need to have whole of Government mechanisms to ensure these admirable aspirations can be effectively made real. 

We will be engaging with the Office of An Taoiseach and Minister O’ Gorman to get confirmation of the mechanisms to ensure effective whole of government engagement. 

We wish Minister Roderic O Gorman TD, every good luck and success in his work  as the first full cabinet minister for disability. In addition, he has an equality brief which we see as critical.

The programme for Government commitments and actions to date point to the Government being serious about making progress on disability inclusion. But we must all recognise that the disability community have been experiencing a range of cuts over recent years. Poverty and exclusion continue to be the trend in their day to day lives. This Government is committed to achievements that will reverse this downward trend and we note that they make this commitment in the full knowledge of the serious Covid and Brexit challenges.