Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

My proposal is very simple. I have just come from the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. I live in rural Ireland, in Ardara in County Donegal. We have a lovely playground. It has been well invested in and the council has done a good job with it. Unfortunately, there is no play space or even a swing for disabled children or children who are autistic. It is a conversation we all need to be having around the right to play for children and how important it is for our children to have equality of opportunity, even in our playgrounds and parks.

I do not know who that debate would be with. It might be with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. When we build houses now they have to be wheelchair accessible and meet the needs of people. We need to do that with play areas as well. I understand it is a simple thing for local authorities to meet the needs of disabled children within playgrounds. There are a few examples in Dublin. While I am a Dublin woman myself, we have to go beyond Dublin and look at the rural parks. I do not know who this conversation would be with but I think a lot of my colleagues here in the Seanad would be in agreement that our playgrounds and parks should meet the needs of all children, including disabled children or children with disabilities, and children who are autistic.