I welcome the Minister's commitment on the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012. It is considerably more than I managed to obtain earlier this month from the Department of Justice and Equality. To help persons with intellectual disabilities is a key plank of the Government's policy and the Assisted Decision-making (Capacity) Bill 2013 passed Second Stage and then disappeared into the waiting list for Committee Stage. Will Committee Stage be taken in the near future? If not, maybe we should admit to people that we are not going to do anything in this session. The programme for Government outlined commitments to enact legislative changes required for the Government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Can the Minister indicate when any single enactment in that regard might be moved forward to enable us to ratify this important convention?

The legislation that comprehends both of the Deputy's points has been through Second Stage and awaits Committee Stage. There is considerable work continuing on it. I cannot give a date for its progress to Committee Stage but it is legislation of a very high priority and the Deputy is right with regard to the broader convention point that he makes.