Live Consultations

From time to time there will be opportunities offered by various Government Departments and other organisations to make a submission or offer feedback to ongoing consultations, which are specifically relevant to disabled people and the disability sector. We aim to include these here with the relevant closing dates.

Please email us if you are aware of others that you think disabled people and organisations should be aware of.

The following are the current live consultations that we are aware of:

Have Your Say: Public Consultation on Ireland’s Next Suicide Reduction Policy

Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler T.D., has launched a public consultation to help shape Ireland’s next suicide reduction policy. This is a vital opportunity for individuals, community groups, and organisations to share their experiences, insights, and recommendations for the future of suicide prevention in Ireland.

With the current Connecting for Life strategy coming to an end, this consultation will play a key role in informing a new, forward-thinking policy aimed at reducing the number of lives lost to suicide. The Department of Health will also be actively promoting this survey through national and local media in the coming weeks.

We strongly encourage you and your networks to take part in this important process. Your voice matters, and your input can help drive meaningful change in how Ireland approaches suicide prevention and mental health support.

🔹 Have your say today – read more and complete the short consultation survey.
📅 Deadline: The survey closes on 18 April.

Procuring for Ireland’s Future: towards a national public procurement strategy

The Government is seeking your views on the development of a first National Public Procurement Strategy for Ireland. The Office of Government Procurement, which operates as part of the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform, has opened a public consultation to inform the strategy. Your contributions will help inform the future direction of public procurement for the next five years. Those wishing to participate are requested to complete the online survey, which is available here. Before making your submission, please read the information here.

Please note that this is a separate consultation to that being undertaken as part of the European Commission’s evaluation on the three Public Procurement Directives. Further information on that consultation can be found here.

The closing date for survey submissions is 17.00 Tuesday, 20 May 2025.

CCPC consultation on European Accessibility Act guidelines for microenterprises

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) enters into Irish law on 28 June 2025. Its goal is to increase the accessibility of a range of products and services across the EU, with benefits for consumers and businesses.

Under the EAA, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission will be responsible for enforcing compliance with accessibility requirements for digital products, e-commerce services and e-books.

To prepare for the entry into force of the EAA, the CCPC has worked with the National Disability Authority to develop guidelines for microenterprises on their accessibility obligations. The CCPC is now inviting feedback on these guidelines through a public consultation. The consultation is open to businesses, industry bodies, Disabled Persons’ Organisations and consumers.

Details

The guidelines are available on the CCPC website and in an accessible PDF.

We are accepting feedback through the consultation form on the CCPC website.

The consultation is open for feedback from 7 April 2025 to 25 April 2025.

Call for Inputs: Care and support for children with disabilities within the family environment and its gendered dimensions

The purpose of this submission is to inform the Special Rapporteur’s report to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on the rights of persons with disabilities, with a focus on families of children with disabilities—particularly mothers—and the barriers they face. Families are central to providing care and support, yet in the absence of adequate formal systems, this reliance can negatively impact the rights and wellbeing of both persons with disabilities and their caregivers. Find all details and how to submit to the report here.

Deadline: 30th April 2025

Call for input for Mary’s next report to the UN General Assembly on human rights defenders working on climate change and a just transition

Contribute to Mary Lawlor’s next report to the UN on human rights defenders working on climate change and a just transition

Deadline: 30th April 2025

Full details and how to submit here.

Call for submissions on the draft of general comment No. 27 on children’s right to access to justice and to an effective remedy

The Committee on the Rights of the Child now seeks contributions from all interested stakeholders on the draft of the general comment. The draft is available here.

Information for children by Child Rights Connect and UNICEF is available here. Background information about the general comment is available here.

Deadline: 30 June 2025 at 18:00 Geneva time