Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 July 2022
585. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on providing fully accessible changing places and toilet facilities open to the public in all buildings which his Department owns and public bodies and agencies under his remit to offer people with disabilities and carers a network of equipped spaces to take care of personal hygiene, in safety and comfort. [38712/22]
View answerMy Department is fully committed to the protection of human rights and the promotion of equality for its employees, customers, external stakeholders and interested parties. It continues to promote and implement its strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and the fair and equal treatment of all as a core value stated in its latest Statement of Strategy for the period from 2021-2024.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) owns and/or leases the buildings that the Department currently occupies and the Department is a tenant of these buildings. The Department shares a number of these buildings with other Government Departments and Public Bodies.
My Department engages as required with the OPW, who are the lead agency with responsibility for implementing Universal Access infrastructure works across Government buildings. To ensure compliance with Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005, work on the installation of a Universal Access Toilet in the public reception area on the ground floor of my Department's main offices in Agriculture House, Kildare Street, was completed by the OPW in 2022.
As regards the 12 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
