A number of Opposition parties pledged last night to scrap the Disability Bill if they form part of a new government following the next general election.
Leaders and representatives of the Opposition gathered at a meeting in Limerick where they signed up to a four-point pledge which will include a commitment to enact rights-based legislation for access to services for disabled people.
Among those who expressed support for the measure was Mr Justice Feargus Flood, who chaired the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, which recommended rights-based legislation almost a decade ago.
The meeting was organised by disability groups in the midwest, including the Limerick Parents and Friends of the Mentally Handicapped, who said the Government's Bill does not guarantee rights for people with disabilities.
Opposition party leaders, including Trevor Sargent of the Green Party, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin of Sinn Féin and Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party attended the meeting.
Senior party spokespeople from Fine Gael and the Labour Party were also in attendance.
The Disability Bill is being debated in the Oireachtas and is due to be enacted shortly.