David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 13: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the NDA report (details supplied) that people with disabilities suffer significant inequality compared to people without disabilities, across a wide rage of areas of life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3552/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Disability Authority report entitled How far towards equality? Measuring how equally people with disabilities are included in Irish Society, brings together statistics from various sources and uses this information to document the extent to which people with disabilities participate fully and equally in Irish society.

The findings of the report derive from an analysis of available existing data, in particular from Census 2002. While the data have been in existence for some time, the report is nonetheless most welcome in that it provides a very useful compilation and statistical overview of the position of people with disabilities in all the important facets of their daily lives.

It was the circumstances of people with disabilities which the report presents that fully informed the development by the Government, in consultation with representative bodies in the disability sector, of the national disability strategy which was launched by the Government in September 2004. That strategy underpins the participation of people with disabilities in Irish society by building on existing policy and legislation.

The NDA report identifies a number of key areas to be addressed in the context of policy and service planning such as the accessibility of the environment, including the built environment, access to information and technology, the education needs of people with disabilities, their participation in employment and their income position. These, too, are key areas where improved provision and services have been identified as being central to the delivery of policy outcomes under the national disability strategy. A key provision of the Disability Act 2005, which is a cornerstone of the strategy, is the legal requirement of public bodies to make their services accessible to people with disabilities and sets out a timeframe whereby public bodies must make their buildings accessible.

The Act also provides the legal basis for the preparation and publication by six Ministers of sectoral plans in respect of services provided to persons with specified disabilities by their Departments and-or public bodies under the aegis of those Departments. These are the Departments of Health and Children; Social and Family Affairs; Transport; Communications, Marine and Natural Resources; the Environment, Heritage and Local Government; and Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

I fully anticipate that those Departments, in drawing up those sectoral plans, will have taken into account the circumstances of people with disabilities such as are highlighted in the NDA report in respect of transport services, health services, employment and training services, income maintenance and other services comprehended by the sectoral plans. I understand that those Departments are currently engaged in a comprehensive consultation process involving representative organisations and the NDA. These plans are to be laid before the Oireachtas as soon as possible but not later than one year after the commencement of the Act, that is by 28 July 2006. I can inform the Deputy that the NDA report, which was recently received in my Department, will be examined closely.