Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The voting block in the Dáil will be called in a minute. I thank all of our guests for coming in for this interesting discussion. It is very clear from members' contributions that there is an awful lot of work to be done in this area. I am somewhat concerned about whether the witnesses are fully aware of the UNCRPD and the importance of compliance with same. I accept that we are starting from a very low base and that there are significant challenges but we have to accept that what we have at the moment is not working. For a lot of people with disabilities, accessible transport is their main route out of isolation and into their communities. There are lots of transport issues, including the problematic attitudes of some individuals within existing services which need to be stamped out.

The concerns that members have raised about design are important but nobody has a complete understanding of universal design. We need to make sure that the disabled persons organisations, the self-advocates and individuals are listened to in regard to their challenges. There is an awful lot that needs to be done. We get a lot of complaints, not just about the services that are being provided but also about the way they are being provided. There is a lot of work to be done in that regard. Local Link, for example, is not accessible for people with disabilities. Some bus services are not wheelchair accessible but accessibility needs to be universal. I urge our guests to take on board what members have said, loudly and clearly, today. It was based on information we got from various witnesses who appeared before this committee. At our meeting of Monday, 8 April in particular, we heard a lot of concerns about transport. I am delighted to hear that the new train carriages will have wheelchair accessibility. Whenever I travel by train, I see - for want of a better word - the commotion involved in organising to get somebody in a wheelchair on and off the train. That is not dignified and it needs to be improved. We have a lot of work to do.

I thank our guests for their engagement this evening. We look forward to their continued co-operation and work with us. I thank members and the committee secretariat as well.