Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2021
266. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of meetings conducted by the Disability Consultative Committee since its inception; the actions taken by the Committee since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56828/21]
View answerThe Disability Consultative Committee (DCC) of my Department was established in 2017 to monitor and review the implementation of the Actions in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) 2017-2021 relating to the Department. The Committee has met 15 times and its members include representatives from the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI), the National Disability Authority (NDA), Inclusion Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE), the County and City Management Agency (CCMA), local authorities, the Disability Stakeholder’s Group (DSG), the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) and the Department of Transport. The Committee's Terms of Reference specify that it is a forum for engagement of the stakeholders to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) and that it will review progress and discuss issues relating thereto.
Since it's inception in 2017 the Committee has monitored the Department's progress in relation to all relevant Actions and made recommendations in relation to how these may be achieved. Issues addressed by the Committee include such matters as the accessibility of polling stations, universal design of services, public procurement, training of Departmental staff in disability awareness, improvement of the application process for the housing adaptation grant schemes and accessible communications.
Furthermore, and in addition to the work of the Committee, my Department has put in place an Action Plan for Universal Design and Accessibility in the context of Ireland's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
