Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 May 2021
301. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason for the discrepancy between wheelchair accessible housing and Cork County Council standards which currently do not allow for larger mobility aids such as wheelchairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28372/21]
View answerThe provision of local authority housing, whether through construction or purchase, and the allocation of same, is a matter for individual local authorities, in accordance with the relevant statutory regimes and funding programmes.
All new local authority dwellings must comply with the accessibility requirements of the Building Regulations 1997-2019 which are part of the legal minimum performance standards set out in the Regulations. In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access.
The requirements of Part M aim to ensure that regardless of age, size or disability:
- new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable;
- extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable;
- material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable;
- certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and
- new dwellings are visitable.
Part M of the Building Regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.
The Building Regulations, including Part M requirements, are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure that due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological progress and innovation.
The Deputy may also be aware that one of the key measures achieved in 2016 under the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability (NHSPWD), which has been extended to the end of 2021, was the establishment of Housing and Disability Steering Groups (HDSGs) in all housing authority areas. The HDSGs were established to achieve a coordinated and integrated approach to meeting the housing needs of people with a disability at local level.
The Groups are chaired by Directors of Housing in each authority and include HSE and disability representative organisations. Each HDSG has prepared a local Strategic Plan for its own City/County area, to develop specific local strategies to meet identified and emerging need over the next five years. These Plans, along with the annual Summary of Social Housing Assessments, allow local authorities to plan more strategically for the housing needs of people with a disability and support the delivery of accommodation using all appropriate housing supply mechanisms.
Additionally, guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily accessed and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability, is available in 'Building for Everyone, A Universal Design Approach', a National Disability Authority (NDA) publication, which may be accessed at www.nda.ie
A review of the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability is currently underway, examining all of the areas of concern to people with disabilities, including the accessibility of social housing. Issues arising for wheelchair users are being considered as part of the review, and the Irish Wheelchair Association are being consulted as stakeholders.
