Yesterday was the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It is timely to remind ourselves that although 2018 has been an important year for citizens with a disability, much remains to be done. In March, the State finally ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was very welcome. However, that ratification was only a first step and the real measure of delivery will be the implementation of the rights contained in the convention. It is very disappointing that the Government did not ratify the optional protocol to the convention as promised. Several matters remain outstanding to comply fully with the convention. I understand that Committee Stage of the Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016 is scheduled for late December and that is very welcome. However, the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 remains at a standstill with the essential establishment of a decision support service still needed. When will that important work be progressed and when will the State be in a position to ratify the optional protocol to the convention?

The Bill is due to move to Committee Stage in two weeks and the legislation on decision making will be addressed in the next session. As the Deputy will acknowledge, the Government controls neither this House nor the Upper House, so it is no longer possible for us to give assurances on how long it will take legislation to pass through the Houses. There is an effective filibuster in this House by Rural Independents on the abortion Bill and a filibuster in the Seanad by urbane Independents on the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. Those filibusters are slowing the passage of all legislation and making it very difficult for us to do the job the people elected us to do.

That is a very unfair accusation for the Taoiseach to make.

There is one thing I would say------

Please, Deputy.

He should withdraw that accusation. All the amendments to the abortion Bill have been tabled by those in favour of the Bill, rather than by the Rural Independents.

The Taoiseach cast a similar slur before the abortion referendum.

It will not work.

Deputies, please.

He should not cast a slur on us by accusing us of holding things up.

Calm yourself, Deputy.

The Deputy will have plenty of time to do that outside the door.

The Taoiseach knows in his heart and soul that we are not delaying legislation. We often have seven minutes each to speak but only speak for one minute. The Taoiseach is never bloody here to hear what we are saying.

The Deputy should be ashamed of himself.

He is never in the Chamber for the debate of the Bill, so he should not-----

Deputy, please.

He has not been in the Chamber for the debate, so he should not wrong people by making such accusations.

He has been reading the newspaper.

The Taoiseach should not be unfair. I thought him better than that.

Deputies, please, do not force me to suspend the House.

The Taoiseach is mean and horrible to make those allegations.

You poor thing.

It is horrible.

The Deputy should think about the women who are waiting for abortion rights.

Deputies, please.

That is enough of that.

Yes, but it is wrong.

To go back to the important issue raised, disability, I acknowledge the work of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, in getting over the line some reforms regarding medical cards. Somebody in receipt of a disability allowance is now able to earn up to €427 per week without losing the medical card. That is an important reform we made in recognition of people with disabilities on International Day of People with Disabilities. One of the big fears people with a disability have in taking up employment is that they will lose their medical card. By changing the rules, we have taken that fear away.