Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In conjunction with the publication of the Disability Bill 2004, my Department recently published its outline sectoral plan for accessible public transport. This is a draft consultation document which outlines my Department's proposals in relation to the ongoing development of accessible public transport services for people with mobility and sensory impairments.

The plan covers public transport accessibility issues relating to bus and rail public transport, taxi services and airport facilities. It will be reviewed on a periodic basis and amended and updated as necessary to take account of prevailing regulatory, economic and financial conditions and to take account of the impact of changes in transport technology.

In the coming days the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, will be given formal responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the action plan. The main mechanisms for supervising and monitoring the commitments under the plan are listed in section 9 of the document. A senior official in the Department has been given specific responsibility for reporting to me on the roll-out of the plan. The commitments in the plan will be included in the Department's next statement of strategy and progress on its implementation will be included in the Department's annual reports. Progress in relation to the implementation of the plan will feature as an agenda item of the Department's management board. The remit of the public transport accessibility committee, established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness in July 2000, will be extended to include a monitoring role with regard to progress by the agencies under the aegis of the Department in implementing the plan.

My Department has in place service level agreements with the CIE companies which link performance standards and quality of services with subvention payments and capital grants made by the Department to the companies. It is proposed to extend the range of performance targets to include the provisions of this plan, in so far as they pertain to the companies' areas of responsibility.

In addition, Bus Éireann, Bus Átha Cliath, Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Procurement Agency have each appointed a senior management executive with responsibility for accessibility matters. Each of these officials will be responsible for delivering on the commitments contained in this plan in respect of the company concerned and for reporting to, and liaising with, my Department in relation to all transport accessibility matters. I understand that Connex Transport Ireland Limited will also appoint a senior official with responsibility for accessibility matters in respect of the operation of Luas.

My Department will continue to monitor and review public transport accessibility developments at the State and regional airports. The process of making taxis wheelchair accessible is being addressed by the Commission for Taxi Regulation which was recently established under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2003.