Vol. 545 No. 5
167 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will include in the Disabilities Bill an obligation on holders of public service vehicles or taxi licences to respond to wheelchair users on the basis of equity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31024/01]
I note the Deputy's concerns about the inclusion of transport issues in the proposed Disabilities Bill. The Government is already committed under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness and the National Development Plan to ensuring that progress is made towards a more accessible public transport system. I am grateful to my colleagues, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Molloy, for their work in this regard which includes the following key developments: all DART cars are accessible and new DART cars will have audio-visual announcements; Bus Átha Cliath currently has more than 300 low-floor accessible buses and will only purchase such buses in the future; and Deputy Molloy has announced his intention that by the end of 2003 the process of making all taxi vehicles wheelchair accessible will commence.
It would not be appropriate for me to reveal in detail, at this stage, the contents of the Bill. However, I can say that the Disabilities Bill will be broad-based in its approach, focusing on positive action measures to support access and participation by people with disabilities in society. Public transport is one of the key areas where barriers to people with disabilities exist. I am anxious to ensure that the Disabilities Bill will address access in relation to transport with a view to making mandatory provision in respect of accessible public transport. Accordingly, I can assure the Deputy that the Bill will include a range of appropriate measures to achieve this objective.
