Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

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 Government. Six sectoral plans will cover the planning to be carried out by the six major Departments that need to spend hundreds of millions of euro in the next ten years in adapting buildings and facilities.

Earlier Senator O'Rourke asked about Bus Éireann. It needs to carry out that work which is already in progress. The Senator was very proactive in this area when she was the Minister responsible for semi-State bodies. Over a ten-year period they will be required to become fully accessible to disabled people.

I do not accept the point made by Senator White that of the €38 billion to be spent, no account is taken of people with disabilities. Under the building regulations and the existing protocols all Government expenditure is subject to controls requiring it to be disability friendly.