Persons with disability will be given the opportunity to be represented on the boards of 10 public authorities, commissions and boards.
Introducing the Bill amending the composition of government entities, Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana said the government was keeping its word and pushing forward its agenda to integrate persons with disability.
The Bill puts into practice the concept of a fair society by giving these persons rights which had been denied to them up to now.
Dr Caruana said that persons with disability would now be represented in drafting and implementing policies and decision-taking. The Bill ensured that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability would be fully implemented as regards participation and integration, giving these persons control of services. It would was also transmit the message to policy makers that social inclusion was tangible and that these persons were entitled to live a full life without suffering discrimination or abuse.
Under the Bill, persons with disability would be represented on the boards of the Housing Authority, the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, the Employment and Training Corporation, the Broadcasting Authority, the Malta Statistics Authority, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, the Commission on Domestic Violence, the Transport Authority and the Refugees Appeals Board.
Dr Caruana said the Bill aimed at widening and strengthening the voice of people with disability in the various facets of society.
Opposition spokesman Robert Cutajar said that the Bill was a positive continuation on work that had been done by various administrations and the Opposition would support it.
Malta still had a long way to go to integrate people with disability in the workforce and the idea of sheltered workshops was being discarded in Europe.
To remove the disabled from the risk of poverty, EU structural funds needed to be directed towards their integration into the workforce.
Mr Cutajar proposed that the Bill be amended to include not only people with disability but also their parents.
These have a different and very important perspective to give to the different boards which constitute the social infrastructure of the country.
Earlier, Mr Cutajar referred to the recent case relating to the rescinded transfer of John Rolè from the adoption team, saying that this decision was still shrouded in mystery.
Paula Mifsud Bonnici (PN) said that the proposed representation of people with disability in the various national boards was beneficial and this step would be bolstered by future legislation.
She warned that the law must not be used as a loophole – either for entities not named under this Bill to be exempt from having a representative of the disabled community or that one such representative was the limit for representation on boards.
This is the situation insofar as female representation on boards was concerned.
The Bill was unanimously given a second reading.