David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress to date on the preparing of his Department's sectoral plan; the number of submissions his Department received following the public consultation of the review of part M of the Building Regulations 2000; if his Department has begun processing the submissions; when he expects to publish amendments for part M and the related technical guidance document M; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16601/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As required under the Disability Act 2005, my Department's sectoral plan will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas no later than 28 July 2006. The finalised plan will build on the outline sectoral plan, published in September 2004, and subsequent consultations with people with disabilities, representative organisations and other Government Departments with linked sectoral plans. The plan will set out national objectives and guidelines for access to local authority public buildings, services, facilities, amenities, and information, as well as to heritage sites and other facilities managed by my Department.

Each local authority will be required to draw up an implementation plan within nine months of the statutory approval of the sectoral plan by the Houses of the Oireachtas, on the basis of a detailed accessibility audit. The implementation plans, drawn up in consultation with organisations representing people with disabilities, will set out a programme of actions to give effect to the commitments and objectives contained in the 2005 Act, in order to promote and pro-actively encourage equal opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in the economic, social and cultural life of the community.

I have provided €18 million in 2006 to help local authorities and other bodies under the aegis of my Department to implement the National Disability Strategy, as part of a multi-annual funding programme, began in 2005, which will continue until 2009.

The outline sectoral plan also included a commitment to review and update standards set out in Part M of the Building Regulations. In line with this commitment, I published a Public Consultation notice in the national newspapers last December seeking comments on the existing Part M (Access for People with Disabilities) of the Building Regulations and the related Technical Guidance Document (TGD M). The closing date for receipt of submissions was 31 March 2006. A total of 40 detailed submissions was received. My Department is now examining each submission and will be consulting the Building Regulations Advisory Body (BRAB), by Autumn 2006 on amendments to Part M and TGD M.