Mr. Michael Nicholson:

Good morning. I am from Wicklow County Council. I thank the committee for the attention it is giving to these disability matters. In County Wicklow, we have set up a disability inclusion steering committee with representatives from all disability sectors. The UNCRPD is at the forefront of what we do. Having this committee is wonderful because we regularly meet the area engineers and the councils, for example, and look at things like dished footpaths, bus stops and road and footpath infrastructure across the county, and tap in with housing colleagues. Having a dedicated committee means we punch above our weight. We also installed changing place facilities in new libraries; there are changing places in the new Avondale facility under Coillte. We have done so much work on improving access to beaches, public parks and playgrounds. All of that is thanks to the dedicated committee. That is just an example; I am sure my colleagues across the country are all doing something similar. In County Wicklow, we have a dedicated committee working exclusively on disability and the committee is made up of activists. While there are some politicians and members of staff, most of the membership are people active in the area. Every single disability group is represented in the county. That is where the ideas come from; we have produced a strategy. That is just an example, Chair, of the work we are doing in County Wicklow. I am sure it is being replicated across the country. We are dealing with our responsibilities and employing the UNCRPD rules as well.