NAMHI calls for change to legal capacity laws

The National Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities (NAMHI) is calling on the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to change the law on legal capacity.

Speaking at a seminar today in Dublin, the group expressed deep concerned with the inadequacies of the law.

Deirdre Carroll of NAMHI said that parents and service providers have no legal authority to make decisions on behalf of a person with an intellectual disability, who is over 18 years of age.

She claimed that Minister McDowell realises there is a problem, and that the Law Reform Commission has made recommendations on the matter.

She said: “We hope that something will be done sooner rather than later, because at present what is happening is that people are taking decisions on behalf of people aged over 18 with disabilities that have no basis in law.”