Ms Rosaleen Lally:

The introduction of the new housing strategy for disabled people is welcome, but it does not go far enough to make a difference. The Government plans to build 33,000 new units on average per annum, up to and including 2030. This will include, on average, 10,000 social housing units, 4,000 homes for affordable purchase, 2,000 cost-rental homes and 17,000 private homes. All of these units will be built to comply with the existing Part M of the Building Regulations 2010, which does not include guidance on the design of wheelchair-liveable housing. That means people with disabilities will be left behind once again.

According to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission report, Discrimination and Inequality in Housing in Ireland, people with disabilities are more than twice as likely to report discrimination relating to housing. They are over 1.6 times more likely to live in poor conditions, such as living in damp housing, not having central heating and living in unsuitable neighbourhoods. According to the report, more than one in four homeless people have a disability. The Think Housing, Build Accessible campaign calls for the amendment of Part M of the Building Regulations 2010 to raise the baseline accessibility standards. The technical guidance documents need to be updated to include guidance for wheelchair-liveable housing, including UD+ and UD++ standards. Adequate provision of fully wheelchair-liveable homes must be included in the Government’s ambitious housing programme.

In the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 emphasis is placed on providing more equal access to housing for disabled people with integrated support services. It also promotes their inclusion in the community and aims to give people appropriate choices and control over where, how and with whom they live. It all sounds great. Theme 1 of the strategy on accessible housing and communities references 50% of the new pipeline delivery being reserved for disabled people in each local authority, which means it should be wheelchair liveable, meeting the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design's UD home recommendations. However, UD homes are not necessarily wheelchair-liveable homes, whereas UD+ and UD++ are wheelchair-liveable standards. For example, a person using a powered wheelchair requires a 900 mm opening on all doors and a 2,400 mm turning circle to be able to turn around in his or her chair in every room in the house. Basic UD guidance for doors is 800 mm, thereby excluding access for a powered wheelchair. UD guidance for a turning circle is 1,500 mm, which also excludes powered wheelchair users from living in such homes. UD guidance does not provide for wheelchair-liveable housing.

In the UK, the Part M document provides detailed guidance on three categories of dwellings: visitable dwellings, as we have in Ireland; accessible and adaptable dwellings; and wheelchair user dwellings. The guidance set out in the Irish Part M document falls well short of that contained in the UK document, only catering for visitable dwellings. The aim of the new Housing for All policy is that "Everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life." If all social and private houses continue to be built in accordance with the current standards of Part M of the Building Regulations 2010, there will be no provision made for wheelchair-liveable homes. Local Government will have to continue to retrofit the existing stock and will also have to increase the budget for the housing adaptation grants for people with a disability, which is a foolish and false economy. The Government must review Part M to ensure that wheelchair-liveable homes are included in the 9,500 new social houses planned annually for the next five years. Money does not appear to be an issue. Part M policy is the barrier for wheelchair users. The cost of building homes to a higher accessibility standard is lower at design stage than retrofitting at a later stage.