The Taoiseach ruled out "lawyer-driven" legislation dealing with the disabled.
"Our strategy is rights-based, but it is not lawyer-driven," said Mr Ahern. "Under the approach we have adopted, people are entitled to an independent assessment of their needs, for which they have fought for many years, and I totally understand why they did that."
The Taoiseach was replying to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, who noted that up to 700 people with disabilities, their families, carers and advocates had attended the RDS to express their anger and frustration at what they perceived to be shortcomings in the Disability Bill 2004.
