Latest: Disability charity says Finian McGrath's proposal is 'an empty gesture'
Ireland's largest disability charity has described Minister Finian McGrath's proposal to ratify a UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities without passing all the legislation as an empty gesture.
Rehab Group said the Minister's plan will have no real impact if legislation is not implemented urgently.
“For more than a decade, Ireland has justified non-ratification by seeking to be an exemplar for the human rights of people with disabilities. A decision to ratify without commitment to strict timelines for enactment of much-needed legislation will make a joke out of ten years of campaigning by disability groups," said Kathleen O’Meara, Rehab Group Director of Communications and Public Affairs.
The Minister for Disabilities is looking to plan a date for when Ireland will finally ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of people with disabilities.
It is 10 years since Ireland signed up to the convention and is now the last country in the EU to implement it.
Minister Finian McGrath will seek approval from cabinet for dates to complete the final steps of implementation.
The Minister is also bringing a bill to cabinet on sign language.
"I'm presenting the whole issue of the Irish Sign Language Bill which will give recognition to the Irish Sign Language but also to bring in and support people from the Deaf Community in relation to, more importantly, providing services for these people," he said.
"Having rights without services is not acceptable as far as I'm concerned as Minister," he added.
