Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 November 2017
37. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the role his Department will play in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49288/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021, NDIS, was launched by my colleague, the Minister of State with special responsibility for disability, Deputy Finian McGrath, last July. This is a whole-of-Government approach aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities. The NDIS contains precise and measurable actions and timescales for delivery, including in the areas of transport and sport.
Monitoring of the implementation of the strategy is being overseen by the national disability inclusion strategy steering group which comprises key Departments, the National Disability Authority and the disability stakeholders group. My Department is represented on this body and works with relevant State agencies and public transport operators to progress the implementation of specific transport and sport actions under the strategy. My Department and its agencies also work closely with the other Departments and agencies to deliver on cross-sectoral or cross-departmental actions.
My Department has in place an accessibility consultative committee, ACC. Its role is to monitor and review progress on the implementation of actions under the NDIS. Membership of the ACC is drawn from organisations representing people with disabilities, members of the disability stakeholders group, key agencies under the aegis of the Department, as well other relevant State agencies. Meetings of the ACC are scheduled to take place at least two weeks in advance of meetings of the steering group. The most recent meeting took place on 18 October.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department and its agencies are committed to engaging actively with the strategy, including the continued development of accessible public transport in recognition of the importance of such services to the lives of people with disabilities. In this regard I should mention that the four-year capital envelope for public transport announced in budget 2018 includes a multi-annual allocation of almost €28 million for the accessibility retro-fit programme for the period 2018 to 2021. This funding is a trebling of the previous allocation. It relates to accessibility upgrades for existing older infrastructure and is additional to the investment in new infrastructure which, as a matter of course, is nowadays designed to facilitate accessibility.
I hope this plan will go ahead and that it is not another pie in the sky dream of the kind the Minister's Government often comes up with. Bus Éireann provides a very good service in west Cork, yet if people with disabilities want to travel from any town in west Cork to the city, they must give 24 hours' notice. In an age in which we want everyone to be equal, I find this very hard to swallow. Even if the bus is disability-friendly, there are towns in which the bus stop is not. A lot of work needs to be done in this area.
I also want to raise a few issues which affect people who are visually impaired.
Those who are blind or visually impaired cannot drive and, therefore, public transport is their only means of transport. Accessible public transport is vital for their independence. Availability goes hand in hand with accessibility.
The Deputy may have missed my earlier reply to Deputy Munster. The Government has trebled its commitment to disabilities in the recent capital plan in addition to what was already being spent. There is no doubt that my Department and the Government are fully committed to disabilities.
The Deputy made a very good point in respect of Irish Rail. She would accept that a pilot scheme is now being operated by Iarnród Éireann on the DART to try to bring down the number of hours required for notice from 24 hours to four hours. I will report back to the House when a result is obtained in that regard. It is a very important development.
I did not miss any of the earlier debate; I do not do that. Does the Minister agree with the recommendation of the National Council for the Blind that a complete review and revamp of the transport service in Ireland should be undertaken in order to increase public transport availability for everyone, including those with impaired vision? The programme for Government pledged to: "invest to make public transport services more accessible for people with disabilities. Examples of such investment include increased wheelchair access to bus and train stations, bus fleet enhancement and audio announcements on train and bus services, to aid the visually impaired." I ask the Minister to comment on that commitment.
I am happy to seriously consider that and discuss it with the National Transport Authority, NTA. Those who have sensory or visual difficulties have problems with public transport and those should be remedied. We are trying to approach this on a multi-faceted level. The commitment is there and it would be wrong if the Deputy did not acknowledge that and the progress the Government is making. It has made several commitments it intends to keep and some of which it is already keeping, as well as the commitment I referred to regarding timing. The NTA is continuing to roll out its accessible bus stop programme. It has launched a campaign in which I was recently involved to stop people putting buggies in the wheelchair zone. I have referred to the pilot project on the DART. It has also increased grants for taxis. We have introduced a series of measures backed up by investment and will continue to build on that.
