‘Improve intellectual disability laws’

LEGISLATION to protect and improve the rights of people with an intellectual disability must be brought forward as a matter of urgency, according to Inclusion Ireland.

Currently, laws relating to people with limited capacity to make decisions dates back to the Lunacy Act of 1871.

Sarah Lennon of Inclusion Ireland said while the Mental Capacity and Guardianship Bill 2007 was introduced as a private members bill in the Seanad in February 2007, it has never been finalised. Lack of progress in this area means Ireland may be out of line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the State is a signatory to.