10 signatures reached
To: Programme for Government 2025
Demand a rights based Personal Assistant service now
As our new coalition government takes office and prioritises its Programme for Government in 2025 and beyond, we, disabled people our families and supporters demand on the basis of Article 29 of the UNCRPD:
Reforming the Personal Assistance (PA) System for People with Disabilities
We urge the new government to state unequivocally and without further delay that:
The Programme for Government will commit to address the unmet needs of people with disabilities and ensure the service aligns with the principles of dignity, independence, and equality for all disabled people, regardless of age.
This includes:
Increasing funding and resources for PA hours to meet demand.
Introducing a rights-based framework to guarantee access for those in need.
Ensuring a person-centred approach to support individual autonomy.
Additionally,the government commits to remove age discrimination within the system to ensure that older people with disabilities are not excluded from accessing vital PA services.
Why is this important?
This is a human rights issue: A recent ERSI report highlighted the basic inequalities in the provision of Personal Assistants across the country. Ranging from differences of approach to completely inadequate resource allocation depending on on where people live. Most damming of all is that if you are over 65 you will not be considered for a PA ; a clear case of discrimination. We are asking you to sign this petition to get the government to take immediate action.