Dr. Aideen Hartney:

The National Disability Authority, NDA, thanks the Chair and members of the committee for the opportunity to present today. The NDA incorporates a centre for excellence in universal design, UD, promoting UD in the built environment, products, services and information and communications technology. The centre also informs our work to provide independent and evidence-informed advice to the Government on disability policy and practice.

UD is the design and composition of an environment in order that it can be accessed, understood and used by all, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. A UD approach involves a diverse range of users in the design process from an early stage. Through our work to develop guidance, policy advice, continuous professional development and award schemes, we promote UD as an essential aspect of architectural quality.

The 2016 census tells us 13.5% of the population in Ireland had a disability, with one in four households containing at least one person with a disability. Most disability is acquired and the majority of people aged over 80 have a disability. The last census also tells us that one in eight households had at least one child under the age of four. UD in the built environment has benefits for families with young children as well as for disabled and older people.

Implementing UD in the built environment is an important aspect of Ireland's commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, as ratified by the State in 2018. Under Article 4(4), Ireland undertakes to promote the development of universally designed facilities, which should require the minimum possible adaptation and the least cost to meet the specific needs of a person with disabilities. The right to live in accessible communities is also articulated in Articles 9 and 19 of the convention.

The European Accessibility Act promotes accessibility and removal of barriers, preferably through a UD approach, to ensure access for disabled people on an equal basis with others. UD is also referenced in a number of national strategies, including the Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework, Housing for All, the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People and the Housing Options for our Ageing Population policy statement.

Part M of the building regulations sets out the minimum requirements for access and use in new buildings and extensions and material alterations to existing buildings. At present, the minimum requirement is for dwellings to be visitable, rather than liveable, for disabled people. We welcome that a number of local authorities are setting targets in their development plans for a percentage of homes in new developments to be UD homes. However, we have advised that a review of Part M should be carried out, with priority given to Part M for dwellings.

We are currently finalising work in conjunction with the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland looking at the initial cost of building UD homes and informing a longer term cost-benefit analysis. A preliminary key finding from our analysis and consultation is that the allowable floor area for dwellings is critical to enable key UD features to be incorporated. At present, the target floor area for social and affordable houses is too small to allow for the achievement of the UD home or UD home+ levels.

Some houses in the private market are being delivered with a suitable floor area for UD home level design, which we believe presents an opportunity for implementation. In addition, there are opportunities to achieve the UD home level in apartments where there is a requirement for the floor area to exceed the minimum area by 10%. However, we note that build-to-rent apartments are exempted from this requirement. We have also advised that 10% of new housing stock should be designed to UD home+ or wheelchair-liveable standards. We are currently working with the Irish Green Building Council to support the incorporation of UD homes into its home performance index certification scheme.

UD also has application in projects in the public realm, including our shared civic spaces, to ensure that the design of these spaces does not disadvantage particular groups or impede their access to these amenities. We have worked with disabled people to audit the walkability of individual towns, identifying gaps to inclusion and participation in how our roads and streets are built, designed and maintained. The NDA notes that the recent pandemic has led to some significant changes in how some urban spaces are laid out and accessed. In some cases, these changes have created further barriers for those with disabilities rather than removing them. In some cases, the changes seem to have been implemented without adequate consultation or engagement with disabled people and their representative organisations and the NDA takes this opportunity to remind the committee that the principle of meaningful engagement is also enshrined in the UNCRPD.

Whether it is in the home or in the shared built environment, UD can most readily be achieved when built into planning and design processes from the outset, in particular by being enshrined in our public procurement processes. Incorporating UD at the start of a project is more cost-effective than trying to introduce it at a later stage, and UD also reduces the need for costly and wasteful retrofitting of buildings at a later stage. It is therefore an approach that supports economic, environmental and social sustainability. The NDA and the centre for excellence have produced technical guidance and codes of practice and supported the development of standards, all of which can inform the UD of our public spaces and buildings and our housing. We are happy to answer any questions the committee might have on our work or our advice to date.