Written Answers. - Services for People with Disabilities.
Austin Currie
Ceist:
210
Mr. Currie
asked the
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
if his attention has been drawn to the ongoing campaign (details supplied) on issues of importance to people with disabilities; the assistance, if any, he will give in removing the disadvantages and discriminations referred to in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12115/00]
I am fully committed to removing the disadvantages and discriminations suffered by people with disabilities in so far as they relate to functions under my control. The following are some of the key measures which I have taken to this end.
Part M of the building regulations, which came into effect on 1 June 1992, applies to the construction of new public buildings and the reconstruction of existing public buildings. I published a consultation document in July 1999 on proposals relating to the amendment of Part M to make all new housing visitable by people with disabilities. This consultation process also included a full review of Part M and its associated technical guidance document. My Department has now completed the review of the submissions received in consultation with the Building Regulations Advisory Body. I hope to issue the revised Part M shortly.
Housing provided by the voluntary sector under the capital assistance scheme is targeted at the needs of specific groups such as disabled persons, the elderly and the homeless with whom the voluntary sector have a long history of working successfully. The assistance available to voluntary bodies under the scheme has recently been substantially increased, including for the first time, the provision of funding for site acquisition. The funding required to significantly increase output from the voluntary sector over the coming years to meet the Government's target of 4,000 units per annum has been included in the national development plan. This increased provision of voluntary housing will improve access to social housing for people with disabilities.
Local authorities also provide housing for people with disabilities. At the end of 1998, the most recent year for which figures are available, there were over 3,400 local authority houses reserved or adapted for people with disabilities. The expansion of the local authority construction programme under the national development plan will increase the availability of social housing for people with disabilities.
An access officer has been appointed in each county and county borough and assigned the function of co-ordinating and promoting access activities in his/her county or city.
Local licensing authorities are empowered to determine the number of taxi and wheelchair accessible taxi licences which may be granted in their functional areas, to monitor the adequacy of the taxi and wheelchair accessible taxi service in their areas and to decide on action to ensure that the demand for those services is adequately met. In Dublin, for example, a total of 800 wheelchair accessible taxi licences have been granted since 1992.
The recent Government initiative to increase Dublin taxi licence numbers, currently the subject of High Court proceedings, includes provision for 500 additional wheelchair accessible taxi licences.
The Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations, 1997, introduced a number of significant changes in relation to the application of traffic and parking laws to disabled persons. These regulations provided for a new type of disabled persons parking permit which can be issued by local authorities, the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers Association. The new permits are available to any person who is suffering from a disability that prevents that person from walking or causes undue hardship to the person walking.
In addition, local authorities are empowered to provide disabled persons parking bays on public roads in their charge and all wheelchair users, including users of mechanically propelled wheelchairs, may use cycle tracks.
Section 36 of the Road Traffic Act, 1994, empowers road authorities to make by-laws governing the type of paid parking controls to be applied on public roads in their functional areas, including the exemption of specified classes of vehicles from the payment of fees in respect of parking, the conditions under which specified classes of vehicles may be so exempted and the identification of exempted vehicles.
Since October 1997 the offence of parking illegally in a disabled person's parking bay comes within the scope of the on-the-spot fines system which applies countrywide.
The maintenance and improvement of non-national roads in their area is a matter for each local authority as is the selection and prioritisation of projects for funding. The Department's memorandum on grants for non-national roads states in a section entitled Facilitation of Persons with Disabilities:
Local Authorities are urged, when planning and executing road works and particularly the planning and designing of pedestrian facilities to pay particular attention to the needs of the mobility impaired, including the visually impaired. Care should be taken to avoid steep or irregular gradients or sharp changes in the alignment of footpaths which might prove deceptive to blind or partially sighted persons. Kerbs should be dished and wheelchair ramps, constructed of non-slip material, should be provided at pedestrian crossing points, where possible. The potential danger represented by road works can be particularly acute in the case of blind or partially – sighted persons and special care should be taken to ensure their safety. Local representatives of persons with disabilities should be consulted, where appropriate.
The provision of dished and tactile paving on pavements and the provision of smooth paths are a matter for local authorities. The 1999 allocation to urban authorities included for the first time a special block grant of £4.2 million which had to be devoted to footpath and carriageway restoration. This special block grant has been continued in 2000 and £6.25 million has been provided for such works in 2000.
For the first time, a regional traffic management grants scheme was introduced in 2000 for the county boroughs of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, similar works are carried out in Dublin city under auspices of the Dublin transportation office. A sum of £1.5 million has been provided for such schemes in 2000. The local authorities involved were requested to submit by 3 March 2000 the work programme they intend to carry out. There are ten categories of eligible works under the regional traffic management grants scheme and one of these is "improved pedestrian facilities, i.e. dished kerbs, tactile paving and audio signals at pedestrian crossings."
A code of practice for the employment of people with disabilities was published by me and was issued by my Department to all local authorities in July 1999. The code covers issues such as recruitment, integration into the workplace, career development, retention in employment, accommodation and equipment, safety, health and welfare at work and evacuation procedures.
Following the publication of the code of practice for the employment of people with disabilities, and as a further initiative to focus attention on disability issues, I invited local authority political leaders, managers, equality officers and disability officers as well as representatives of organisations for people with disabilities to attend a disability awareness seminar in Dublin Castle on 28 September 1999.
