The Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) presented its Annual Report for the year 2021. The Annual Report shows that by the end of December 2021, the Commission had registered with it 21,392 persons with disability, an increase of 1,687 people over the previous year. Of the total number of people with disabilities registered in 2021, 17,014 people are physically disabled.
The Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organizations and Consumer Rights Julia Farrugia Portelli attended the presentation of the Annual Report.
It was explained that in 2021, 422 cases were opened with the Commission and of these 174 cases were successfully closed, ie 41.2%. This figure excludes the number of cases opened regarding the use of blue badges. The number of cases opened in 2021 is 24% lower than in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. All the cases that were open with the CRPD related to the health sector were all resolved. Of the cases that were opened on housing, 82.4% were closed.
Minister Farrugia Portelli said that during 2021, the CRPD saw how the message that our country will be the face of inclusion will not only come as a message but will be translated into practice in a tangible way. She pointed out that during 2021, it was a year of reforms for the disability sector as well as for the Commission. The Minister explained how “one of the important reforms was to strengthen the CRPD at the regulatory level.” In fact, during 2021, the process of transferring blue badges from the Commission to the Support Agency began. This process took effect on March 1 this year.
The Minister concluded that the Government is committed to continue to provide the necessary tools to people with disabilities as well as to the entities that work hard for these people.
