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United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
24 February 2022
Lead MP
Marion Fellows
Motherwell and Wishaw
SNP
Responding Minister
Mims Davies
Tags
NHSEducationEmployment
Word Count: 12710
Other Contributors: 7
At a Glance
Marion Fellows raised concerns about united nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Fellows calls for the UK Government to enshrine the UNCRPD in law and commit to incorporating the convention into legislation to allow domestic remedies for breaches. She also asks the Minister to follow Scotland's lead by publishing a new disability equality plan, properly engaging with disabled people, consulting them adequately, and committing to tripling the number of aid projects that have disability inclusion as their primary objective by 2023.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Disabled people's rights in the UK and globally are being consistently ignored by the UK Government. Marion Fellows highlights that around the world, 1 billion people live with a disability, and according to World Vision, 20% of the world's poorest live with a disability. In the UK, nearly half (49%) of disabled people live in poverty. The UNCRPD was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2006 and ratified in the UK in 2009 but has seen glacial progress since then. The latest global summit on disability saw only 18 commitments made, which Fellows believes are insufficient to address real needs.
Debbie Abrahams
Lab
Oldham East and Saddleworth
She highlighted the UK's failure to adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, noting that austerity measures have led to 'grave or systematic violations' against disabled people. She cited specific policies such as the bedroom tax and cuts to social care budgets that infringe upon disability rights. Abrahams also raised concerns about the government's response to recent cases where it was found to be unlawfully discriminating against disabled individuals, including a case regarding universal credit transitions. Additionally, she mentioned issues with accessibility at local stations and called for an independent inquiry into the impact of social security cuts on disabled people. Ms Abrahams intervened to express her best wishes to the Minister's father, highlighting his experience with disability. She asked whether the Government acknowledges a social model of disability, where society imposes barriers that prevent disabled people from living their lives fully.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Commends the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw and her colleague for their campaigning on disability rights, highlighting the need to recognise disabled people as fully equal citizens. Criticises society's tendency to treat accessibility as an afterthought, pointing out everyday challenges faced by wheelchair users and those with invisible disabilities who fear judgement at work.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Jim Shannon highlighted the frustrations faced by people with disabilities in Northern Ireland, citing specific cases of constituents who have been treated unfairly or inadequately. He criticised the government for picking and choosing how to interpret legal obligations related to disability rights and women's discrimination. He called out the morally wrong decision made by the government regarding termination of pregnancies due to disabilities like Down's syndrome. Shannon shared two examples from his constituency, including a constituent needing hip replacements despite her mental impairment, and another facing difficulties with work due to ulcerative colitis. Emphasised the importance for employers to respect their employees and provide equal opportunities. He also shared a positive example of an individual with Down's syndrome securing a scaffolding apprenticeship.
Kirsten Oswald
SNP
East Renfrewshire
Ms Oswald highlighted the importance of disability organisations, like East Renfrewshire Disability Action group, in advocating for disability rights. She emphasized that disabled people face significant inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic and noted that 50% of people with disabilities live in poverty in the UK. She expressed concern about the lack of bold action from the UK Government and called for more proactive steps to prevent further exclusion of disabled people from global aid. Asked the Minister about a previously mentioned employment Bill that would assist in providing better employment opportunities for disabled individuals.
Battersea
Congratulates the hon. Member for obtaining this debate and suggests that the UK Government must lead by example in implementing the convention before preaching to others. Marsha de Cordova emphasised the importance of implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the lack of progress over a decade despite repeated calls for action. She noted that cuts to social security and public services have exacerbated issues for disabled people, leading to human rights violations as recognised by the UN. De Cordova criticised the Government's failure to address challenges highlighted in previous UN updates and called for an independent public inquiry into deaths caused by benefit cuts. I echoed concerns about the failure to meet the 2020 target for an accessible transport service and highlighted that more than 4 million disabled people of working age want to work, despite only 35,000 employers being part of the Disability Confident scheme.
Matt Rodda
Lab
Reading Central
Mr Rodda highlighted the UK's pledge to follow the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, which protects and promotes human rights for disabled people. He noted that 1 million more disabled people are trapped in hardship than a decade ago, with 3.8 million living in poverty. The pandemic has hit disabled people particularly hard, as many did not receive additional support despite facing £583 per month in additional costs. Mr Rodda criticised the national strategy for disabled people, which had two years of delay before being published and was under-resourced at just £4 million for 12.7 million disabled individuals.
Toby Perkins
Lab
Chesterfield
Perkins agrees with Fellows that the Government cannot preach to others about what they have not done themselves, and he calls for a commitment from the FCDO to include disability in the eligibility criteria for applying for refugee status in the UK.
Government Response
Mims Davies
Government Response
I congratulate the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw on securing this debate and thank all hon. Members for their contributions. The Government remains committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which it ratified in 2009. The national disability strategy published in July 2021 complements the convention's principles and aims to improve disabled people's lives through five essential elements: fairness and equality; consideration of disability from the outset; support for independent living; increased participation by disabled people; and recognition that complex challenges require local solutions.
The Government has provided an extra £1 billion via the Department for Education to support children and young people with more complex needs, including those with a disability. The work and health programme offers intensive personalised employment support, and we are working with the NHS to improve access to psychological therapy services across England. Additionally, there is an Access to Work scheme providing grants of up to £62,900 a year for workplace adaptations such as special equipment, support workers, and help getting to and from work.
The UK hosted the first global disability summit in 2021 and launched the disability inclusion strategy setting out priorities for social protection, economic development, education, and humanitarian action. The Government is committed to spending £10 billion on aid programmes that are disability-inclusive. We will continue with wide-ranging commitments made in the national disability strategy and aim to level up opportunities for disabled people both domestically and internationally.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.