Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
727. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if funding will be made available for local authorities including Donegal County Council for improved disability toilet facilities similar to the fully accessible changing places toilets introduced in the United Kingdom (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41085/22]
View answerIn December 2020, I established a Working Group to examine the provision of a changing places toilet in certain buildings to promote community participation and social inclusion of people. The Working Group recommended the types and sizes of buildings where a changing places toilet should be required, along with the technical requirements (equipment, room size and layout) of a changing places toilet.
In February 2022, my Department conducted a public consultation seeking submissions, observations and comments on a draft proposed amendment to the Building Regulations and associated Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use to make provision for a changing places toilet in certain buildings.
The consultation period ended on 12 May 2022 and more than 600 individual submissions were received.
The Working Group will reconvene shortly to consider the submissions with the view to finalising documentation on the matter later this year.
The elected members of local authorities have direct responsibility in law for all reserved functions of the authority, including adopting the annual budget and are democratically accountable for all expenditure by the local authority. It is a matter for each local authority to determine its own spending priorities in the context of the annual budgetary process, having regard to both locally identified needs and available resources.
