Vol. 546 No. 3
346 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the funding which is available for buildings that need ramps in order to make them accessible for the disabled; if public money is available to do this; and if churches would be eligible for such funding. [31910/01]
The position is that the remit of my Department with regard to disability issues is in the area of policy development. My Department does not provide funding to assist in rendering buildings accessible to people with disabilities. The policy of mainstreaming services for people with disabilities, which was introduced last year, seeks to ensure that services and facilities are accessible to people with disabilities in the same way as to everyone else.
Under this policy the Department responsible for providing a service or facility to the general public is also responsible for providing that service or facility to people with disabilities. The issue of disability access is regulated by Part M of the building regulations which is under the responsibility of the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
