Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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The best time to make them accessible was at the start. According to the Minister of State, the Government said it was to be an accessible machine, but it seems to me that Re-turn has not done that. What engagement will the Minister of State have with Re-turn to tell it it did not adhere to our guidance and statutory instrument and to ask it how it will rectify the situation? Going shopping must be a nightmare for someone who is blind, but we do not add another challenge for them just because they already have all of these other challenges. When setting up a new scheme, we should have followed best practice. The Irish Wheelchair Association was not even consulted. Setting up a scheme like this is a significant undertaking, but there are fundamental elements that must be gotten right. Unfortunately, the Government has not done that.

The Minister of State said-----