Dr. Aideen Hartney:

I thank the Senator. There are obligations in legislation and policies, as the Senator says, at present and I suppose the challenge is to ensure that public bodies are aware of them. Certainly, in our own work, in monitoring compliance, for example, as the Senator says, with the code of practice, there can be challenges in ensuring that public bodies are aware of them. However, they also only extend to public bodies and the private sector is not mandated by that. We would argue that is where the public leads should show leadership.

The European accessibility Act is only in the process of being transposed and then there is a three-year timeframe for implementation. It will be a while before we see any of the benefits realised from that legislation.

In terms of disability impact assessments, we would regularly advise that this is an essential part of any major project, not only in the built environment; anywhere there is expenditure and an impact on the public that should be done. However, it seems to sometimes go under the radar and unnoticed by those public authorities.