Live Consultations

From time to time there will be opportunities offered by various Government Departments and other organisations to make a submission or offer feedback to ongoing consultations, which are specifically relevant to disabled people and the disability sector. We aim to include these here with the relevant closing dates.

Please email us if you are aware of others that you think disabled people and organisations should be aware of.

The following are the current live consultations that we are aware of:

CCPC consultation on European Accessibility Act guidelines for microenterprises

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) enters into Irish law on 28 June 2025. Its goal is to increase the accessibility of a range of products and services across the EU, with benefits for consumers and businesses.

Under the EAA, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission will be responsible for enforcing compliance with accessibility requirements for digital products, e-commerce services and e-books.

To prepare for the entry into force of the EAA, the CCPC has worked with the National Disability Authority to develop guidelines for microenterprises on their accessibility obligations. The CCPC is now inviting feedback on these guidelines through a public consultation. The consultation is open to businesses, industry bodies, Disabled Persons’ Organisations and consumers.

Details

The guidelines are available on the CCPC website and in an accessible PDF.

We are accepting feedback through the consultation form on the CCPC website.

The consultation is open for feedback from 7 April 2025 to 25 April 2025.

Call for Inputs: Care and support for children with disabilities within the family environment and its gendered dimensions

The purpose of this submission is to inform the Special Rapporteur’s report to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on the rights of persons with disabilities, with a focus on families of children with disabilities—particularly mothers—and the barriers they face. Families are central to providing care and support, yet in the absence of adequate formal systems, this reliance can negatively impact the rights and wellbeing of both persons with disabilities and their caregivers. Find all details and how to submit to the report here.

Deadline: 30th April 2025

Call for input for Mary’s next report to the UN General Assembly on human rights defenders working on climate change and a just transition

Contribute to Mary Lawlor’s next report to the UN on human rights defenders working on climate change and a just transition

Deadline: 30th April 2025

Full details and how to submit here.

Procuring for Ireland’s Future: towards a national public procurement strategy

The Government is seeking your views on the development of a first National Public Procurement Strategy for Ireland. The Office of Government Procurement, which operates as part of the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform, has opened a public consultation to inform the strategy. Your contributions will help inform the future direction of public procurement for the next five years. Those wishing to participate are requested to complete the online survey, which is available here. Before making your submission, please read the information here.

Please note that this is a separate consultation to that being undertaken as part of the European Commission’s evaluation on the three Public Procurement Directives. Further information on that consultation can be found here.

The closing date for survey submissions is 17.00 Tuesday, 20 May 2025.

Call for submissions on the draft of general comment No. 27 on children’s right to access to justice and to an effective remedy

The Committee on the Rights of the Child now seeks contributions from all interested stakeholders on the draft of the general comment. The draft is available here.

Information for children by Child Rights Connect and UNICEF is available here. Background information about the general comment is available here.

Deadline: 30 June 2025 at 18:00 Geneva time

Have Your Say: Public Consultation on Ireland’s New Social Inclusion Strategy

The Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary T.D., has launched a public consultation to help shape a new national strategy to tackle poverty and improve social inclusion in Ireland.

This new strategy will replace the current Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025, which aimed to reduce poverty and make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU. The roadmap set an ambitious target: to reduce consistent poverty to 2% or less. Now, as we approach the end of this strategy, the Government is seeking your views to inform the next phase of work.

Why Your Voice Matters

This consultation is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to reflect on what progress has been made, share lived experiences, and help set the direction for Ireland’s next social inclusion strategy.

If you or the people you represent have faced poverty or social exclusion, your input is vital. The Department wants to hear:

What has changed (for better or worse) since 2020?
What barriers to inclusion still remain?
What ideas or initiatives could make a real difference in the years ahead?

Who Should Get Involved?

This consultation is open to everyone - but particularly encourages responses from:

People with lived experience of poverty or exclusion
Community and voluntary organisations
Disability, equality, and social justice groups
Advocates and service providers

How to Take Part

You can find full details on how to make a submission by visiting the gov.ie consultation page. The consultation will remain open until 30 June 2025.

Help Shape the Future of Rural Ireland

The Department of Rural and Community Development is developing a new rural policy for 2026–2030, and they want to hear from you.

This new policy will build on the progress of Our Rural Future 2021–2025, aiming to create a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable rural Ireland.

As part of this work, two public consultation events will take place in the coming weeks. These sessions are a chance for the public to share insights on the key challenges and opportunities facing rural areas today.

If you have questions on either consultation, please email: rural.consultation@drcd.gov.ie

Public Consultation Meeting

Cork

16 June

6.30pm – 9pm

Charleville Park Hotel, Charleville

Public Consultation Meeting

Offaly

17 June

6.30pm – 9pm

Tullamore Court Hotel, Tullamore