Ms Amy Hassett:

I will make just a few brief points because the other witnesses are greater experts than I in these areas. In speaking with our membership and getting feedback on the draft State report, which we have been doing over the past week or two, the first point I would make is that there are massive concerns around things that are missing and absent and also about the way certain things are presented and whether it reflects the lived experience of disabled people. Shadow reports will be written, in which process we will participate. We certainly have concerns in this regard.

I agree with the Deputy that women are an afterthought in transport considerations. This is a global problem. It is known in every single aspect of transport that women are not considered. In terms of designing transport for cities, the focus on people working in full-time paid jobs is an example of this.

They tend to be more male based. They tend to make transport trips in and out of the city whereas women make more lateral movements around cities. The majority of transport systems, at least in Dublin, are focused on getting in and out of the city. That is the exact same for disabled women in that it is an afterthought.

With regard to support services for women, one comment made by our membership is that the physical services are not accessible but also the lack of disability understanding training for staff is a massive concern.