The Irish Human Rights Commission has followed with interest and concern the debate concerning the Disability Bill 2004 which is currently before the Oireachtas. In November 2004 the Commission forwarded its observations on the Bill to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Michael McDowell. The President of the Commission, Dr. Maurice Manning, stated at that time that:
“The most important issue in addressing the human rights needs of persons with disabilities is the putting in place of adequate funding and the provision of services which guarantee (i) the ‘progressive realisation’ of the economic and social rights of persons with disability; and (ii) that standards of services never fall below a floor of core minimum standards consistent with the imperative of human dignity".
The Commission reiterates this view which is consistent with its mission to ensure conformity between Irish law and our international legal obligations. "The concern of the IHRC is to ensure that the legislation enacted by the Government will honour in as comprehensive a way as possible our international human rights obligations" stated Dr. Maurice Manning today.
The full text of the Commission’s Observations is available on our website www.ihrc.ie
A spokesperson from the Commission is available for comment.
For further information, please contact:
Mary Ruddy
Senior Human Rights Awareness Officer
Irish Human Rights Commission.
Jervis House,
Jervis Street,
Dublin 1.
Tel. 01 8589 601
Mobile: 087 2400695
E-mail: info@ihrc.ie
Website : http://www.ihrc.ie
