Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I will welcome the building control Bill when it comes before the House. However, Members will be aware of how long it takes for most legislation to pass through the Houses. As far as the issue of making public buildings accessible for people with disabilities is concerned, we should not wait for that to happen. The timeframe of ten years, which would take us to 2015, is far too generous. I do not see how people responsible for any building could take ten years to make it accessible. This is far too lenient and I do not understand the need for such leniency. We need to set down ground rules and timeframes. I would have thought that even a five year period is too lenient. However, the provision of a period of time as long as ten years baffles me.

The Minister of State also mentioned that the Disability Bill cannot cater for every need or aspect of the provision of accessibility or other issues pertaining to people with disabilities. Surely however, in the case of accessibility, we should set the standards and demand the delivery of those standards in a much shorter timeframe. After all, the purpose of the Bill is to bring people with disabilities into the mainstream and putting such questions on the long finger does not deliver a service to people with disabilities. We should do everything we can to speed up that process. My amendment would help to deliver that service and would be in everyone's interest.

We want to reach a stage where people with disabilities can leave their home, gain access to footpaths and public buildings and go about their business. As far as footpaths are concerned, we must also ensure that when someone leaves home in a wheelchair, he or she can reach his or her destination, be it to the local school, church or shop. Such people should be able to travel along footpaths with dished kerbs in place to enable the wheelchair to access every footpath, but that does not happen. If everything is put on the long finger, it will not be done. I regret the line taken by the Minister of State, as he is putting the matter on the long finger and this is not acceptable. I urge him to accept the amendment.