Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

With regard to the principles of quality consumer service which have been mentioned, the undertaking is to provide clean, accessible public offices that ensure privacy, comply with occupational and safety standards and, as part of this, facilitate access for people with disabilities and others with specific needs. Has the implementation group of secretaries general performed an audit of how far we are along the road towards 100% accessibility to public buildings for disabled persons?

No more than any other public representative, I fail to understand how engineering concepts, in many cases, at the entrances and exits to public buildings leave footpaths that are a foot high in some cases. It is impossible for people to go along their way. The same applies throughout every town and village in the country. These are public access points. Has a direction been given in that regard or has an audit been carried out? How far are we from 100% accessibility?

The same terms put an onus on Departments and agencies to provide choice, where feasible, for persons to have service delivery, including payment methods, made available with multiple choice where that is so. Why, for example, can a person wishing to acquire information under the Freedom of Information Act not pay for it with a credit card or Laser card? There is e-government, a multiple choice for paying ESB and telephone bills etc., and the money is sometimes gone before the person knows it. Sometimes a service is cut off before a person finds out the payment was not made.

With regard to public service and access, why do we not have an option for multiple choice, as is contained in the terms of reference? For example, those people looking for information under the Freedom of Information Act cannot pay by credit card or Laser card.

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