Results 541-560 of 1,150 for speaker:Frank Fahey

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: No.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Yes. I do not have a problem with that.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Amendment No. 16 seeks to insert a further ground of complaint in regard to the contents of the assessment. As I stated last week, any person who considers he or she has a disability can apply for an assessment, as outlined in section 9(1). Those who apply for an independent assessment will therefore receive one. Otherwise, there is a ground for complaint under section 14(1)(a). In regard to...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The Disability Bill, as published, includes a provision that allows the Health Service Executive or head of the education service provider to refuse to implement the recommendation of a complaints officer. In such cases, the opinion would be set out in writing and could be appealed by the applicant. I was pleased to table an amendment in the Dáil which deleted that provision. Government...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: When the Bill was published, there was a provision therein that allowed the Health Service Executive or head of the education service provider to refuse to implement the recommendation of a complaints officer.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: It was included to provide a further requirement such that if the CEO of a health board, for instance, did not feel, for any of a variety of reasons, that he could implement the decision of the complaints officer, he could refuse to do so. We decided to remove this provision completely to make the legislation more transparent and ease the bureaucracy. Consequently, Government amendments Nos....

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage. (21 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The amendment would allow for an appeal to the District Court on the facts established by the appeals officer. Section 20, as it stands, provides that an appeal to the court would arise only on a point of law to the High Court. This approach is consistent with that in other statute-based appeals systems, such as those pertaining to planning and social welfare. It provides the advantages of a...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Ten years.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The timescale has to be progressive.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Section 25 of the Bill states: Subject to subsection (4) and section 29, a public body shall ensure that its public buildings are, as far as practicable, accessible to persons with disabilities. Section 25(3)(a) of the Bill states: Buildings, which are public buildings on the commencement of this section or which become public buildings 40 after such commencement, shall be brought into...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: I will respond to the last point made. Each Minister does not have a sectoral plan as the sectoral plans only apply to the six major Departments with a need for a plan owing to the massive amount of work to be done. In response to what Senator Terry said before the division, that work will be done on a year-on-year basis up to a maximum of ten years. It is not a question of putting it on the...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The ones without plans must have their provisions in place to comply with the Bill by the end of this year, which means they have no need to have a plan. For example, the Department of the Taoiseach does not need a sectoral plan because that Department has little to do in this area when compared with the Department of Transport or the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: By and large they are being implemented. Part M of the building regulations ensures that all new buildings funded from new moneys are——

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: With due respect, it is very unfair to make such comments. A strong set of regulations for new buildings and developments exist and are being adhered to. If the Senator has examples where this is not happening with new expenditure, I would like to hear them. I ask the Senator to inform me of projects involving Government expenditure in which the planning laws on disability are not being...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: Sections 25 to 29 impose significant obligations on the six Departments, which, among other matters, must make all their services accessible to people with disabilities. Significant costs and resources cross a wide range of bodies are involved. The main cost for the six Departments is the cost of retrofitting and making changes. This applies to agencies such as Iarnród Éireann, Bus...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: There are six Departments with plans because it is necessary for those Departments to plan for the short, medium and long term action they will take. This is because there are very significant amounts of work that they all must carry out. The other Departments are covered and they must complete their work by December 2005, which is covered in sections 26 to 29. We wanted to focus on the big...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: If it was necessary to have plans for the other Departments, there would have been no difficulty in having them. However, it is not necessary because they will be obliged, once the Bill is passed, to put in place all of the requirements expected of them in the Bill by the end of this year.

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: I thank the Senators for bringing this important matter to my attention on Committee Stage. I am happy to agree with the suggested amendment by Senator Quinn and Senator Henry to remove "Dáil Éireann" from section 31(6) and replace it with "each House of the Oireachtas". Government amendments Nos. 25 and 27 will also ensure that section 31(6), which refers to the laying of sectoral plans...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: The 3% employment quota has been in place on an administrative basis for many years. I would be the first to acknowledge that there has been considerable variation in the performance of various Departments and public bodies regarding the target. It has received specific attention in a number of the national wages agreements. Sustaining Progress captures the essential point in that it refers...

Seanad: Disability Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (22 Jun 2005)

Frank Fahey: ——many of them have. The variable progress is due to a number of factors, including the problems with disclosure of personal information, differences in recording procedures within public bodies and the lack of acceptance by some bodies of their responsibilities in this area. It is clear from recent research that a change in the approach to recording and a broader range of positive action...