Mr. James Cawley:

I am coming in online from lovely Longford. I thank the committee for having me. The questions Deputy Tully raised are valid. ILMI has consulted its membership around accessibility in a number of areas, including the UNCRPD and Covid measures that were introduced into cities. We also have a planning group and we have developed a document that covers principles of inclusive planning. Before we look at Part M and the logistics of that, we need to look at planning issues. There was talk of consultation. In some cases, decisions are reached without any meaningful consultation with disabled people. Consultation should be done directly through disabled persons' organisations at all levels - local, regional and national. That is the simple answer to a very complex issue. We know the built environment is not accessible but quite often disabled people find out too late about plans, so rather than inputting into the design at concept stage, disabled activists are reacting to planning decisions. That is an issue as well.

In Ireland we seem to plan, design and build to minimum standards. Often regulating creates barriers to more universal design ways of thinking. Our members have highlighted that the Part M building regulations are weak and need to be reviewed. We should be looking at minimum standards, not maximum standards. They are simply not working for disabled people. ILMI recommends that local authorities fully monitor the implementation of Part M when it is reviewed and we call strongly for it to be reviewed. The other key element is that, as the representatives from the NDA have said, homes need to be wheelchair liveable. We are in a housing crisis. It is very difficult for disabled people to find houses that are accessible for us to actually live in. It is one thing to give us the four walls but we need to be able to be genuinely included in our communities. Accessibility plays a massive part in our lives. It impacts on our spontaneity as disabled people. That is important. When we keep accessibility in mind at the design stage, we are actually designing for diversity, which reflects the society we live in and our intersectionality.