Member's statement: United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Report
Member's statement by Mr Danny Donnelly on .
- MLA
- Mr Danny Donnelly
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 30 April 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Report
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4486709
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise to speak on the latest UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities report, which was published last week following an inquiry into the rights of disabled people in the UK in March. The committee found that there has been no significant progress on delivering its previous recommendations that were outlined in 2017. The UK Government have failed to address any of the systematic violations of the human rights of persons with disabilities and have failed to tackle the root causes of inequality and discrimination for disabled people. Whether it is difficulties in accessing personal independence payment (PIP) or adult disability payment (ADP) or proposed amendments to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill that would violate the right to privacy for many people, it is clear that the outgoing Conservative Government have no interest in addressing any of the inequalities that continue against people with disabilities. I hope that the next Government provide a more equitable and human rights approach to equality issues. The report highlights some of the most pressing issues that are specific to Northern Ireland, such as the loss of EU funds and the failure of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to provide the same level of support. I will quote two paragraphs directly from the report, which is available online. It states that deaf and disabled persons organisations (DDPOs)
"in Northern Ireland reported that disabled people were in a particularly dire situation. Disabled people are 50% more likely to live in poverty. Debt is a significant issue, with many losing a substantial portion of their income to debt repayments. Despite some individuals qualifying for disability benefits, the financial support often fails to cover the extra costs associated with disability, leading to [financial] hardship and material deprivation, and indicating that disability benefits for those who meet the threshold for entitlement, are not sufficient to meet the extra costs associated with disability and ill health. DDPOs in Northern Ireland also raised concerns about disabled people being targeted for financial exploitation and illegal lending during the recent political and economic crises. This has highlighted a gap in formal responses to protect disabled people from such exploitation."
Significantly, the report highlights the disproportionate impact of political instability in the Assembly on disabled people and their rights. The report displays the urgent need for institutional reform to prevent the Assembly from collapsing for years again. Equality law in Northern Ireland has fallen behind that in the rest of the UK. One way in which to resolve that gap would be the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into domestic law, as it is recognised as the gold standard for equality rights. I hope that the Executive bring that to the Assembly before the end of the mandate.
467 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.07 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.93).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.98).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.07 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.03 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.93 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.07 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.98 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.01 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.01 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 1.00 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:01 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.