Debate contribution: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 25 November 2024.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

25 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4675290

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak to how vital it is that we incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into law. As other Members have outlined, across society, people with disabilities still face far too many barriers to equal participation. Across far too many measures, full realisation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people with disabilities has still not been achieved. Nowhere is that clearer than in the economy. Research by Disability Action in 2021 found that 89% of deaf and disabled people find it difficult to find and keep a job. Research from the UK's Women's Budget Group found that, across the UK, disabled women earn 12% less than disabled men. The disability employment gap, which is the focus of article 27 of the UNCRPD, still stands at over 40%. That is the biggest gap in any UK region. It should be profoundly concerning to us all that deaf and disabled women are twice as likely as non-disabled women to suffer physical abuse from an intimate partner. Families with a disabled child are also less likely to be able to afford formal childcare, from which far too many children are still shut out. Our education system still fails to work for children with disabilities, leaving thousands without access to quality education, with the result that there is a persistent educational attainment gap. Those are just some of the gaps that the Equality Commission identified. That is not to mention other issues that were cited, such as accessible housing, the impact of social security reforms and health inequalities, which impact on disabled people perhaps more than any other group. That is all to say that there is still a long way to go before we finally reach full equality. The motion represents an opportunity to come together as an Assembly on that issue and call for the urgent implementation of the UNCRPD into our domestic law. Unfortunately, we already know that the Minister does not believe that he has the time in this shortened mandate to review and reform disability legislation. That represents another casualty of the political dysfunction that his party caused and another missed opportunity for devolution to deliver for disabled people. I hope that all parties can, at the very least, commit to the implementation of the UNCRPD at the earliest possible opportunity. I will turn to the DUP amendment. The main substance of the debate is about improving the life of people with disabilities and enhancing and supporting their human rights. The debate is not about abortion — absolutely not. It is unfortunate that the DUP amendment chooses to distract and deflect from a very important issue. I hope that our amendment makes a useful contribution to the debate. We should continue to champion stand-alone hate crime legislation and hold the Department of Justice responsible for its introduction and implementation. The implementation of the UNCRPD into domestic law is just one part of series of measures that must be introduced in order to ensure that disabled people have full equality under the law and the ability to realise their rights. That package includes a legal right to independent living and self-determination, the reform of our education system so that it is truly inclusive and urgent action to ensure that our welfare system is made fit for purpose for disabled people. I strongly call on the Minister for Communities and the Minister for the Economy to work together to introduce an ambitious and strategic disability employment strategy in order to close the disability employment gap once and for all. That should include measures that provide for the gathering of comprehensive and robust data to monitor progress. I welcome the motion and hope that we can work together as an Assembly to address every serious challenge that faces people with disabilities.

640 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:40 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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