Vol. 482 No. 3
101 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the three priority areas for action in her Department for 1998 in view of the Government's commitment in An Action Programme for the Millennium, page 18, People with Disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17939/97]
I am personally committed to ensuring that, within my area of responsibility, meeting the requirements of people with disabilities continues to be accorded a high priority by service providers. It is their responsibility to develop and implement relevant initiatives and improvements. They are aware of the need to work towards maximising the accessibility and responsiveness of their facilities and services to customers with disabilities according as suitable opportunities and resources allow.
While my Department's work covers a wide range of activities, it is clear that the principal concerns of people with disabilities relate to the question of improving the accessibility and user friendliness of the public transport system. In this regard, I am advised that current priorities within the CIE Group for 1998 include the following:—
1. the introduction in Dublin, on an experimental basis, of a number of large-capacity low-floor buses to complement a similar test already under way in Cork;
2. further progress on the implementation of Iarnród Éireann's ongoing programme of improvements on trains and at railway stations aimed at catering more adequately for wheelchair users and other customers with disabilities; and
3. further developments in the three CIE operating subsidiaries in relation to disability awareness training and consultation with user groups representative of customers with disabilities.
Meanwhile, an interdepartmental task force operating under the aegis of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is drawing up an action plan for consideration by the Government, based on the wide-ranging recommendations of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. I expect that the outcome of that process will provide a basis for determining the extent to which additional relevant initiatives within the area coverd by my remit can be undertaken in 1998 and in the years immediately following.
