Vol. 504 No. 2
305 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of offices or institutions under his Department which are open to the public; the number of these accessible to people with disabilities; the plans, if any, there are to ensure all buildings are accessible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11754/99]
The Deputy will appreciate that my Department carries central responsibility for many areas of public policy and administration including law enforcement, the treatment of offenders, the administration of the courts, immigration and asylum issues as well as the elimination of discrimination and the promotion of equality of treatment for disadvantaged groups.
As well as the foregoing, there is a range of other responsibilities exercised under the aegis of my Department by agencies operating on either a statutory or administrative basis. The principal examples are the Probation and Welfare Service, the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds, the Legal Aid Board and the Employment Equality Agency.
As a consequence, the Deputy will appreciate, I am sure, that there are, quite literally, hundreds of buildings, courts, Garda stations, offices and institutions which are open to the public and in daily use by my Department. In the short time available to answer parliamentary questions, it is not possible to be specific about each and every one.
However, very many of these are already easily accessible to people with disabilities, and I wish to assure the Deputy that my Department's customer service action plan clearly commits the Department to ensuring that the appropriate provision is made in all existing buildings where possible, and that all new and refurbished buildings being provided will be designed to include such provision.
