Delay on rights of disabled

The Irish Times - Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Delay on rights of disabled

Sir, – The president of the Irish Human Rights Commission Dr Maurice Manning has asked (Home News, August 15th) why it was taking so long for Ireland to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There have been 103 ratifications to date, including the majority of EU member states.

When this question was asked of the previous government last January, a spokesperson said “It is the Government’s intention to ratify the convention as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to ensure that all necessary legislative and administrative requirements under the Convention are met”. This peculiarly Irish catch-22 is, in effect, an Irish cop-out.

The convention recognises that countries at different levels of development or facing different economic circumstances may require a longer timeframe to work progressively towards the convention’s goals, but may still ratify the treaty. A good example of such commitment is the undertaking in the current Programme for Government “to reform the law on mental capacity to ensure the greatest degree of autonomy for people with intellectual disabilities or suffering with mental illnesses in line with the UN Convention”.

According to the Programme, the Government is “determined to restore Ireland’s standing as a respected and influential member of the European Union and as part of the wider international community”. Ratifying the convention would be an important step in that direction. – Yours, etc,

Dr ARTHUR O’REILLY,

North Avenue,

Mount Merrion,

Co Dublin