John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Imelda Munster raised a number of matters and both I and others can return with supplementary information. An issue concerning audio was raised at the committee last March and dot matrix facilities are for people who are deaf. There was a commitment given on foot of that meeting by an official that it was hoped to have those elements in place by 30 September this year, but they are still not in place. That is the straight-up answer. The question of whether people are happy having to give 24 hours to 48 hours of notice has been well answered by people here. It should not exist. Rosa Parks in the United States was allowed on the bus, although she had to sit at the back. We do not get on the bus much of the time. What happened there was wrong and so is this.

With regard to bus driver training and lifts, I understand from drivers and their representatives that they would be happy to undertake such a step. We can come back to it later as there are issues with training. There is the matter of booking cost. When I was in Brussels with disability representatives last week I met staff from the transport Commissioner's office. We raised it among a number of matters. If a state is not charging others to book tickets, there is clearly a violation if a cohort is being charged. I wonder if a bit of fundraising is going on.

Deputy Robert Troy asked about cuts to the mobility allowance and if we have contacted the Department in that respect. The petitions committee had a meeting before Christmas attended by the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and it specifically dealt with that matter. The Deputy is dead right as it was stopped at the end of February 2013 and the devil and all was to be done; it was to be sorted out fairly smartly. Much has been said about the fact that the scheme has not been closed down and people who were in the scheme can continue in it. It is almost five years since it was stopped. People who would have qualified for that scheme over those five years have lost out. The motorised transport grant was completely abolished, and it would give people a leg-up in buying a new car.

There is quite an interesting solution. We were told at the time the scheme was abolished because it violated the equal status legislation. Section 14 of the Equal Status Act 2000 states:

Nothing in this Act shall be construed as prohibiting - (a) the taking of any action that is required by or under -

(i) any enactment or order of the court,

The Oireachtas could have legislated to keep that scheme as it was running and then dealt with the fact that the scheme was only taking people on up to age 65 years. It could have introduced subsequent legislation to widen it. It could have been kept going. There was mention of prioritising resources in the National Transport Authority, NTA. It is certainly something to be looked at. We understand party whips but there is no disability whip when it comes to these matters. Some issues are prioritised over disability. We are almost there but we are never there. This country must swallow hard one of these days and do the right thing.

Deputy Mick Barry asked about the 48-hour notification and focused particularly on Irish Rail. He mentioned the quiet carriages and less accessible spaces. We can give information on those chapter and verse. There will be an opportunity to explore such matters when the rail people come in. He also mentioned unmanned stations. With regard to private operators, as a State we give them a licence, so why give this to a for-profit entity without ensuring it is responsible for providing an accessible service? The person who is disabled should be blind to operators - I hope I will be forgiven for using that phrase - because they should all be able to provide the same service. One should not need to know the logo. A public service should be accessible.