Vol. 489 No. 6
601 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of the interdepartmental task force plan of action on rights of people with disabilities and the issue of reasonable accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8908/98]
The interdepartmental task force, established on foot of the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, is close to completing its plan of action on the rights of people with disabilities and the issue of reasonable accommodation. It should be available for submission to Government by June 1998.
602 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amendments, if any, his Department has proposed to legislation pertaining to granting of licences to premises open to the public to require the District Court to have regard to adequacy of access by people with disabilities, as recommended by the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8909/98]
With regard to recommendation No. 115 of the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities — that my Department should propose amendments to all legislation pertaining to the granting of licences to places of entertainment, public assembly, etc., — the position is that the Supreme Court judgments on the constitutionality of the Employment Equality Bill and the Equal Status Bill have implications for this recommendation and it is not clear whether the proposal as it stands would be constitutionally feasible. I will continue to keep the matter under review with the view to addressing the situation in the context of future disability legislation.
