It is ten years since the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was signed by the Government. Ten years on, when it is proposed that we will ratify this convention? The Minister will be aware that the ongoing delays and the failure to ratify the convention have caused frustration and hurt to people with disabilities, their carers, families and to Irish society in general. This matter has been raised more times than I care to remember. I hope that today we will see some light at the end of the tunnel and get a date from the Minister.

Deputy Murphy O'Mahony, on the same matter.

It is exactly ten years to the day since Ireland signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Despite a lot of promises and talk, the Oireachtas has yet to ratify that convention. I ask the Minister to tell us when this will happen and when the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 will reach Committee Stage in order to move this on?

I cannot give a specific date but I do know that the Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues, Deputy Finian McGrath, is working very diligently on this.

He said last May that it would be ratified within six months.

I am not aware of all of the details but that does not mean that we are not making progress in many of the areas of provision. I know that in his own Department, he has made very specific provision for disability. In my Department, we provided additional resources for children with special educational needs. In terms of rolling out services, there is a very strong commitment by the Government to support people with disabilities. In terms of the actual ratification of the convention, which requires certain legal instruments, work is ongoing on that.

I want to stay within the area of supports for people with disabilities, recognising that it is exactly ten years ago today that Ireland signed the aforementioned convention. We were among the first to sign it but are among the last to ratify it.

In terms of other related legislation, the health (transport support) Bill has been promised for months on end. Most recently, at the beginning of March, the Taoiseach congratulated all of those involved and promised that it would be done within two weeks. Where is that Bill? The delay underscores the fact that for all the talk about supporting people with disabilities on this important day, very little is actually happening on this Government's watch.

I understand that the proposals do raise budgetary issues. Obviously, they have to be considered in the context of budgetary provision as well as the policy statement.

The Taoiseach was misleading us then when he said-----

Clearly, any new policy has to be backed with a credible implementation plan. I am sure that is where that discussion lies. As the Deputy will know from experience, this is a difficult matter to get right. I am not surprised it takes some time to put a full package together.

When will we see the legislation?

It is being treated as a priority but those issues have to be resolved first.

No date.