Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Wall for raising this important issue. It has been raised in the Dáil by my colleague, Deputy Steven Matthews, as well. I also thank the campaign group, Changing Places, for the work it has been doing on this.The purpose of the building regulations is primarily to protect the health, safety and welfare of people in and around buildings. While both codes deal with the built environment, they have interrelated but separate roles.

As matters currently stand, new buildings and extensions or material alterations to existing buildings must comply with the legal minimum performance standards set out in the building regulations of 1997 to 2019. In this context, the Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document - Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements a building must achieve in respect of access.

On the Senator's specific query, my Department proposes to establish a working group to examine the inclusion of a provision relating to a changing places facility, commonly known as a changing places toilet, in Part M, technical guidance document M, of the second schedule of the building regulations.

In this regard, my Department has recently written to a number of relevant stakeholders to invite their organisations to participate in the working group. The terms of reference for the working group include assisting in the preparation of draft documentation for public consultation, which will include an examination of costs and preparation of a regulatory impact analysis. The working group will then review submissions received after a public consultation and will support the finalisation of a revised draft Part M, technical guidance document M. It is proposed hold an initial introductory meeting of the working group next week.

Part M aims to ensure that regardless of a person's age, size or disability, new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable; extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable; material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable; certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and new dwellings are visitable.

Part M of the building regulations aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.

Guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily accessed and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability is available in "Building for Everyone, A Universal Design Approach", a National Disability Authority publication.