Vol. 504 No. 4
217 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when the requirement for all public buildings to be wheelchair accessible will be implemented and enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12223/99]
The building regulations, which have been in effect since 1 June 1992 place a duty on persons constructing or extending public buildings to provide access for people with disabilities. Otherwise, the regu lations generally do not apply to existing public buildings. The provision of access facilities to other existing buildings is a matter for the owners and occupiers of the building concerned.
Departments and local authorities have been asked by my Department on a number of occasions over the years to ensure that appropriate provision is made for access facilities for disabled people to all buildings under their control. As part of their response to Delivering Better Government, Departments have undertaken to prepare customer action plans to improve the quality of services they provide to the public; access to public offices for people with disabilities is one of the issues to be addressed in this context.
Local building control authorities are statutorily responsible for monitoring and enforcement of compliance with the regulations. It is, therefore, a matter for the authority to inspect public buildings to which the regulations apply. I have no power to issue a direction requiring inspections of any category of buildings whether they are covered by the building regulations or not. However, since my appointment as Minister in 1997, I have been urging local authorities to appoint building control officers and have sanctioned the necessary additional posts and increased building control fees. I now understand that 34 out of 37 authorities have appointed officers and the balance are in the process of making such appointments.
