Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Regional Group for this motion, which gives us the opportunity to discuss these important issues. I emphasise, on behalf of the Government, our commitment to support people with disabilities and to the progressive realisation of our UNCRPD commitments. There is a real complexity in the issues discussed. They include issues we are already working on to address so we can improve and strengthen the transport supports available to people with disabilities. I am glad that work is ongoing within the framework of the interdepartmental working group on transport in view of the different needs of people with disabilities around this country.

We need to give this work the time to be carried out for us to get it right and move forward by properly calibrating our supports and making the best use of our resources. At a whole-of-government level, the national disability inclusion strategy, which has been extended to the end of 2022, sets the overall framework through which the rights of people with disabilities under the UNCRPD can be advanced. Under the strategy, a number of Departments have responsibility for delivering on those transport commitments.

The Minister of State outlined the work being done by Government colleagues. In closing this discussion, I want to highlight that work and point to the level of commitment, the complexity, and the opportunity for future co-ordination. The Minister for Transport acknowledges the important role transport plays in all our lives and is particularly conscious of the concerns in regard to making public transport accessible for all. The Minister is committed to progressively making public transport accessible for people with disabilities, including in rural areas, by ensuring that new infrastructure and services are accessible from the start and retrofitting older infrastructure.

He secured €13.35 million in budget 2022 for this purpose. In line with Article 9 of the UNCRPD, the National Transport Authority supports persons with disabilities to travel independently on public transport networks through initiatives like the Just a Minute card for anyone with a communication difficulty and the provision of disability awareness training to public transport staff. Further, the travel assist scheme currently provides free assistance for people who need it in accessing public transport or to plan public transport journeys in the greater Dublin area. The extension of this scheme to the Cork area is going to be piloted this year.

Looking at rural areas, last October the Minister for Transport joined the National Transport Authority to launch the public consultation on the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. Connecting Ireland is a major national public transport initiative developed by the National Transport Authority to increase public transport connectivity, particularly for people living outside major towns and cities. We will significantly increase both the number of routes and the frequency of existing services right across the country.

On the free travel scheme provided by the Department of Social Protection, a recommendation in the 2017 Make Work Pay report has resulted in the introduction of changes to the way in which people with disabilities who get employment can retain access to the free travel scheme. Persons with disabilities who receive the partial capacity benefit may hold on to it to allow them to return to work. As transport supports for people with disabilities are the responsibility of a variety of Departments and agencies, it is appropriate that the Government would use the interdepartmental transport group, chaired by the Minister of State and operating within the framework of the national disability inclusion strategy, as the forum within which to address this issue in a holistic way.

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