Disability groups urge Government to honour rights pledge

DISABILITY groups last night urged the Government not to renege on its promise to introduce rights-based legislation for the disabled next November.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell yesterday announced plans to introduce a new Disability Bill in the coming weeks. However, Mr McDowell hinted that funding and resources could influence an independent officer's assessment of a disabled person's needs.

"Of course the deciding officer or the independent appeals officer will not take their decision in a vacuum: issues such as the availability of resources and staff will be taken into account," he said at the Youth Beyond Disability International Conference in Dublin Castle.

Mr McDowell said the country will have some of the world's best disability legislation when the bill becomes law.

The Disability Legislation Consultative Group (DLCG) a consultation group established after the last Disability Bill was scrapped before the General Election said Taoiseach Bertie Ahern cannot backtrack on his promise of July 15 last.

"We have an agreement with the Taoiseach from last July and we expect to see that contained fully in the bill when it's published," DLCG chairperson Angela Kerins said.

The new bill will allow the country's 350,000 disabled people to take legal action where services are not being provided by the State.

When it is enacted, the law will have an impact on access to all kinds of public services, including transport, environment, social welfare, health and education. It will provide for independent assessment of needs, a right of appeal against decisions, with an officer to enforce appeals through the courts if necessary.

The 2002 Disability Bill was ditched after it proposed prohibiting disabled people from pursuing access to essential services in the courts.

Meanwhile, the GAA has been criticised over its refusal to allow Special Olympics athletes to carry a flag promoting the European Year of Disabilities at this year's All-Ireland Hurling Final. People with Disabilities in Ireland (PwDI) chief executive Michael Ringrose said the GAA's attitude was deplorable.

The GAA said last night it made a huge contribution to the recent staging of the Special Olympics at its Croke Park headquarters. "We receive several All-Ireland final day requests such as this and we refuse them all, because you can't make any exceptions," a GAA spokesperson said.