Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of the serious deficiencies in the provision of wheelchair accessible public transport, such as the Bus Éireann route 190, which is not wheelchair accessible most of the time and when a lift is provided, there is often no qualified person to operate it. [15612/16]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I tabled a priority question about the serious deficiencies in the provision of wheelchair accessible public transport but I would like in this question to give an example of the difficulties experienced on a local route in my constituency, which is the Bus Éireann route 190 between Laytown and Drogheda, which is not wheelchair accessible most of the time. When a lift is provided, there is nobody qualified to operate it.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. The issue raised is a matter for the National Transport Authority, NTA, in conjunction with Bus Éireann and I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply.  I ask her to please advise my private office if she does not receive a response within ten working days.

As regards accessibility generally, I understand that Bus Éireann regularly sends customer service notices to its depots around the country to remind staff of their responsibilities regarding passengers with specific needs. Of course, customers should raise specific incidents directly with the bus operator in the first instance. There has been considerable progress in enhancing the accessibility of bus services in the State.  This progress is most apparent in the subsidised bus fleet, which is funded by the State via the NTA.  The Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann city fleets are now 100% accessible while most Bus Éireann coaches are wheelchair accessible.

During 2016 the NTA intends to begin the installation of wheelchair accessible bus stops across the Bus Éireann network.  The long-term objective is to install a wheelchair accessible bus stop in every town in the State.  The NTA is rolling this out on a route-by-route basis starting this year with Bus Éireann routes 30, Dublin-Donegal, and 32, Dublin-Letterkenny.

Some of what I have said is repetition, as was the Deputy's question, to some extent, but the following is new. Progress on the provision of wheelchair accessible bus services has been slower among operators of commercial bus services which do not have access to State funding.  In late 2014, the NTA launched a public consultation on ways to support the transition to wheelchair accessible buses among licensed bus operators.  Among the issues identified in the responses to the public consultation is the suitability of high-floor coaches with wheelchair lift compared to low-floor buses.  Accordingly, the NTA is examining whether there is an alternative approach which improves the customer experience of wheelchair users of services outside of cities and is looking at the subsidised bus fleet purchase as well as possible changes to the licensing of commercial services.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There are several wheelchair users in the Laytown-Bettystown area and throughout County Louth and in every other county, town and village. One wheelchair user had been in contact about this issue with the previous Minister and had been in continuous correspondence with Bus Éireann and the Department, all to no avail. As I asked in my priority question, what plans has the Minister that are different from the previous Minister's to address this issue? I cannot imagine an individual in another European country being told to telephone the rail or bus station 24 hours in advance of making a journey to make sure there will be a train or a bus that he or she can access. One would not hear the like of that in any European country.

It is all down to this issue never have been prioritised properly. If there is one good effective initiative the Minister could do in his transport portfolio, it would be to address the lack of equality of access for people with disabilities. I said this gentleman has been in touch with the previous Minister. I ask the Minister again to look into this matter and not to give the bog standard letter that is sent out with the every excuse under the sun being given. Will he take this issue seriously? Will he make it his business to address disability access on the public transport network and, if he will, what will his plans be and how does he intend to be different?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Let me first say that seated two places to my left, we have a recognition of the fact that this Government is taking disabilities more seriously than any previous Government has done in the history of the State. We have a Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities who sits at the Cabinet table. I do not know if I would be revealing Cabinet confidentiality, which the Deputy would love me to do, by saying that he is not a man without a voice at the Cabinet table. Disabilities have got that voice at the Cabinet table and will continue to have that, and that is something that is unique in this country. I will raise this issue with the Minister of State immediately. He is here. He has heard what the Deputy had to say. She has got his ear here. This area is his job. It is the Government position that we should give a higher priority to disability and the Minister of State is a recognition of that.

I repeat what I said to the Deputy earlier because it is important that I should say this. My sphere of influence as regards disabilities extends only as far as transport, tourism and sport. The Deputy's questions and a few other questions on this area have revealed matters to me that I did not know previously, matters which I have only found out about in the past week or so, and that is the fact that transport is lacking in many areas in its consideration of disabled people. That is something I am beginning to recognise and which I will certainly do something about. I will urge that there is an enhanced interest, particularly in railway stations and outside the big cities' fleets where the buses do not provide enough access, and particularly on trains and in taxis. I do not know if it was the Deputy or another Deputy who said today that only 5% of the taxi fleet is wheelchair accessible, which I only learned about in the past week or so. Forgive me for saying that I am just learning about this area. I am particularly surprised by what I have found and I will do my best to ensure that disabilities is given a much higher priority than it was in the past.