Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

As mentioned in the reply to the parliamentary question to which the Deputy refers, my Department has been in discussion with the Commission for Taxi Regulation about a subsidy scheme to assist with the purchase of accessible vehicles over a five-year period that will meet the new accessible vehicle specification developed by the commission. A number of options for the delivery of additional accessible vehicles are being explored by my Department, in order to improve accessibility to public transport for people with disabilities.

The Department's public transport accessibility committee recently discussed the provision of wheelchair accessible taxis when considering a review of "Transport Access for All", which is the Department's sectoral plan under the Disability Act 2005. The committee questioned whether, in the current economic environment and on practical grounds, it was necessary to provide for the entire fleet of taxis in urban areas to be wheelchair accessible. My Department will engage further with the Commission for Taxi Regulation to identify whether a more cost effective approach to the provision of adequate numbers of wheelchair accessible taxis can be developed.

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