Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:- recognises the significant advances made by the Government since coming into office in promoting equality among all citizens including people with disabilities;

- acknowledges that much work still remains to be done on creating an equal society for people with disabilities;

- acknowledges that this is the first Government in the history of the State to appoint a Minister with special responsibility for Disabilities who sits at Cabinet;

- supports the significant contribution made by Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, since he took office, in advancing workable solutions on issues that affect

the daily lives of people with disabilities in Ireland;

- notes the clear commitment of the Government to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on behalf of the Irish State;and calls on the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government:- to consider ways to improve the streetscape in our towns and villages in order to make it more accessible to people with physical disabilities;

- to respond effectively to recent campaigns by disability NGO’s such as the National Council for the Blind of Ireland and the Disability Federation of Ireland on the challenges faced by people with disabilities in safely navigating around our cities and towns;

- to request the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government to engage with the various stakeholders and to make recommendations based on this engagement as to what legislative changes are necessary to help make our towns and cities more accessible to people with physical disabilities;

- to fund an information campaign to help raise awareness among proprietors of businesses and properties of the needs of people with physical disabilities and also to raise awareness among motorists, cyclists and the general public on the challenges faced by mobility impaired citizens in our built environment, given that such an initiative by the Minister would be a very worthwhile practical measure which would greatly assist people with disabilities to go about their daily lives.