Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address the motion. He is the appropriate Minister of State to do so because the motion is very much targeted at the Department of the Housing, Planning and Local Government and the local government sector, in particular.

I thank Senator John Dolan for his contribution. He is the only one who saw fit to go through the motion and table amendments which enhance it. The specific wording proposed, "sensory and others", is appropriate to be inserted where the Senator has suggested it should be inserted.

I have taken an interest in this specific area because of campaigns launched last year by the Disability Federation of Ireland, of which Senator John Dolan is chief executive. Campaigns were also launched by my nominating body, the National Council for the Blind of Ireland. These organisations have had to run the campaigns because there seems to be a developing behavioural problem. Some seem to believe they can park in a wheelchair spot simply because there is no one parked there and there is no parking space available anywhere else. The wheelchair spot has been provided for a reason - to allow someone with a mobility impairment and, consequently, a permit to park there. That no parking space is available anywhere else in the car park does not give another person the right to use a space dedicated for a person with a disability simply because no one is parked there.

There seems to be what I describe as, in some case, an intentional, and, in others, an unintentional laissez-faireattitude to parking. People have a tendency to park on kerbs and footpaths simply because they are in a hurry. It is a lazy, sloppy approach that is not in keeping with best practice. Certainly, it is not in keeping with the need to keep pathways clear for people with disabilities. Irrespective of how busy a person is or in how much of a hurry he or she is or the parking arrangements, there should never be a situation where he or she parks on a footpath. People have to use footpaths and it becomes difficult for a blind person who is using a stick to have to walk along the street only to hit off an object with which he or she is not familiar. More often than not, that object is a car in a place where it should not be parked. Bicycles, motorcycles and other vehicles can also be in place where they should not be parked. Cyclists have a role to play in that regard.Cyclists adopt a lazy attitude by parking their bicycles against poles and in other ways that are unfair and do not allow free passage. Clearly, that does not apply to every cyclist but a number of them do it.

The motion is designed to create a conversation, a follow-up as it were to the campaigns run by the NGOs last year. It calls on the Government to examine the legislation governing parking slots for wheelchair users and people with disabilities in the first instance and, second, to deal with objects being placed on footpaths which should not be there. That includes the licensing of coffee shops that are allowed to have tables and chairs outside. There are many examples of coffee shops and bars that push the boat out a little further than they should. They might have a licence for X number of tables and chairs but over time it becomes X plus one and X plus two. On a particularly fine day it can be X plus ten. They are licensed to have a certain number but they can easily have double the amount. It is not being policed and monitored simply because there are no resources to do it, there is insufficient interest and there are other priorities.

When there are tables and chairs on areas of footpaths where they should not be they create an obstacle for people with disabilities, including people with white sticks and people who must use wheelchairs. We have an ageing population so there will be an increasing number of old people and an increasing number of people whose mobility is compromised. That is just a fact of life. In addition, this affects not only people with disabilities but also mothers with buggies trying to navigate our streetscape. It really is not fair. I believe there is a job of work to be done. I heard the Minister's comments with regard to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I do not mind how it is achieved but a conversation must take place and a new set of guidelines and recommendations must be developed to deal with street furniture and illegal parking in disabled slots. We must increase the fines and create a situation where it is frowned on when somebody does it. Aside from anything else a person should be afraid of the embarrassment he or she will face for parking in the slot.

With regard to Senator Dolan's proposed amendment to the motion concerning the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, of course the convention should be a guiding light as to where we must go and what we must do. I did not expect the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities to be here because the motion is not specifically relevant to him. It is far more relevant to local government given the fact that local authorities issue the licences for street furniture and have responsibility for road traffic. However, there is a role for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I have examined the amendments tabled by Senator Dolan earlier today and I have spoken to the Minister. I have no problem with including them. I would not have considered it necessary to include the convention in the motion but if Senator Dolan believes its inclusion will strengthen the motion and achieve what we are seeking, I have no issue with it. The Minister does not have an issue with it either. I do not believe this House should ever divide on issues related to promoting equality and promoting people with disabilities having a clear pathway in terms of mobility and so forth.

There are serious issues with public transport. Due to my disability I will never be able to drive so I use public transport all the time. I wish more Members of the Oireachtas would use public transport because that would convey a very good message. I regularly see you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, using the train-----