Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

297. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the way her Department and public bodies and agencies under her remit are implementing Action 16 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38496/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is committed to ensuring that accessibility is a core element in the design and build of our websites and systems by default. My Department regularly perform evaluations against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standard.

My Department's website will shortly be moving to Gov.ie, which is built and maintained by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). Accessibility is embedded into the design phase of all website migration projects.

My Department is also currently progressing a project to assess all other websites in its remit with a view to either retiring or migrating them to a more modern platform, with a built-in accessibility component for reading impairment.

I am informed that the Data Protection Commission(DPC) and Legal Services Regulatory Authority(LSRA) websites are regularly reviewed to ensure compliance with WCAG. In redeveloping its Online Legal Aid Application system in 2020, the Legal Aid Board followed the EU Directive on the Accessibility of Public Sector Websites and Mobile Applications.

An Garda Síochánais committed to achieving compliance with the harmonised European standard, EN 301 549 (Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services) which replicates the more commonly known Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and has made amendments accordingly, including updating the Accessibility Statement to reflect its level of compliance and providing information on how to provide feedback on the website.

Numerous changes have been made to ensure that the Garda website is accessible to all, including the provision of an accessibility assistive toolbar solution called Recite Me which allows website users to customise their experience on the site in a way that suits their needs. Recite Me provides features to enable accessibility such as text to speech functionality, customisable display and styling features, reading aids and a translation tool with over 100 languages, including 35 text to speech voices. The toolbar provides website users with greater accessibility with a PDF Reader solution.

The Garda website has also been updated to comply with the use of cookies in line with the GDPR requirements. The website uses cookies to enhance the browsing experience and to collect information about how visitors use the site, to improve the service.

The current Courts Servicewebsite was fully redesigned and launched in Summer 2020, and has been built from the ground up based on user needs, including extensive end user engagement and in line with the principles of universal design.

Within budget parameters, the Courts Service is iteratively updating external and internal digital touch points in a user-centric manner, to ensure that those who interact with its services can do so across a diverse range of abilities and preferences.

Through the Courts Service Modernisation Programme in 2021, capability and capacity has been increased in terms of service design, user interface, user experience and customer experience expertise to ensure that the modernisation and digital transformation of existing services are being carried out in a user-centric manner and will adhere to universal design principles and the Web Accessibility Directive.

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission(GSOC) is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with the POUR (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust) principles outlined in SI No. 358/2020 and is working towards compliance with these principles in the current upgrade of content of its website.

The Irish Prison Serviceis committed to achieving a conformance level of triple-A WCAG on the irishprisons.ie website and compliance with the National Disability Authority IT Accessibility Guidelines.

Some of the website aids include keyboard shortcuts; documents in formats to enable easier reading and printing offline, navigation aids at the top each webpage to help with navigation, content and decorative images on website include ALT titles to explain the content or the purpose of the image in question. For colour-blind or partially sighted users there is a facility to increase and decrease the font size or override it completely, and site fonts and background colour combinations for the different colour-blindness conditions to ensure that items are not referenced by colour alone.

The Insolvency Service of Ireland(ISI) operates two websites, ISI.gov.ie and Backontrack.ie, a debtor-facing website used for ISI information campaigns. Work to make this website more accessible and user-friendly is underway and appropriate accessibility features and tools will be incorporated as part of that project.

All business applications developed for and used by the Legal Services Regulatory Authorityare developed in accordance with the accessibility standards set out by the NDA and the recently redesigned website includes accessibility features.

In redeveloping its online Legal Aid Application system in 2020, the Legal Aid Boardfollowed the POUR principles to make web content access easier. The Board's website currently has level AA conformance to the WCAG 2.0.

The Policing Authorityhas developed a highly accessible website with a conformance level of Triple-A and WCAG compliance as well as compliance with the Irish National IT Accessibility Guidelines.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

298. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the way her Department and public bodies and agencies under her remit are implementing Action 32 of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (details supplied). [38513/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department and the offices, agencies and bodies under my remit are fully committed to the implementation of the National Disability and Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) and are aware this can only be achieved with active engagement and collaboration with people with disabilities.

The Departmental Consultative Committee (DCC) provides a forum for engagement between Departmental officials, representatives of the National Disability Authority (NDA) and representatives of the Disability Stakeholders Group, particularly in relation to implementation of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy. It also provides an opportunity for my Department to update on current issues of interest and for the groups to raise issues that are of concern to them.

The DCC recently met to consider actions, ahead of reporting on Departmental NDIS actions at the NDIS Steering Committee meeting in June and will meet again in the autumn.

In a recent public consultation on hate speech, my Department drew significant learnings from a consultation workshop for people with disabilities and the input of those with lived experience of disability was extremely valuable in the consideration of policy and legislation measures.

The Department of Justice’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Committee is currently working to develop an ED&I strategy for Department. The draft objectives will focus on:

- Improving the accessibility and quality of our services;

- Supporting the development of a skilled and diverse workforce;

- Building and embedding a workplace culture which facilitates, supports and encourages contributions from all.

We are working to publish this strategy in the autumn. Simultaneously, the Customer Insights team are developing a Customer Service Action Plan for the Department and are working to include more ways to actively engage with people with disabilities.

The Deputy may wish to note the following examples across offices, agencies and bodies under the remit of the Department:

An Garda Síochánahas a dedicated unit - the Garda National Diversity and Integration Unit - with responsibility for all external-facing issues relating to diversity and integration that require a policing response. Disability is one of the nine strands of diversity under the remit of the GNDIU.

The unit engages with stakeholders on an ongoing basis and is a point of contact for advice, guidance and support for all representative groups advocating on behalf of those with disabilities.

The GNDIU established a National Diversity Forum to monitor and review the implementation of the strategy and to act as a critical friend. The forum is made up of 15 representatives of communities and key stakeholders including the Policing Authority.

This forum has met on five occasions and is chaired by the Director of the Irish Network against Racism (INAR). The founder of the Irish Criminal Justice Disability Network (ICJDN) is a member of the forum and represents the interests of those with learning, intellectual and physical disabilities.

The Garda National Diversity Forum will continue to review progress on the implementation of all strategic objectives contained in the Diversity and Integration Strategy 2019-2021 over the lifetime of the strategy. While the monitoring function of the forum is to ensure An Garda Síochána carry out the commitments outlined in the strategy, it also provides a link to minority communities and provides a voice for those with concerns within those communities.

The Garda Síochána Inspectorateregularly engages with NGOs including those who represent people with disabilities to ensure that the rights and needs of people with disabilities are considered in the course of the Inspectorate fulfilling its statutory function.

The Legal Aid Boardestablished a Consultative Panel a number of years ago to provide a forum to keep external stakeholders informed and updated , to facilitate stakeholders to provide feedback and assistance to the Board on its services from a user’s perspective.

The Panel meets three times a year. Current membership is published on the Board’s website and includes representatives from, among others, the Citizens Information Board and Sage Advocacy, whose engagement assists the Board in addressing how the legal needs of people with disabilities may be better met within the statutory framework in which the Board operates.

Disability Inclusion is included in the Policing Authority’s 2021 Stakeholder Engagement Plan. During the past year, the Authority has met with organisations who work with vulnerable adults on safeguarding issues, including people with disabilities.

The Probation Serviceis committed to supporting the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 and is focused on fostering a strong culture of equality, diversity and inclusion.

This is reflected within the Probation Service Strategic Statement which identifies inclusion as a key strategic priority for the organisation and outlines its ambition to deliver fair and accessible services to all. Specific measures include liaising with the Irish Criminal Justice Disability Network (ICJDN) to develop a bespoke training programme for probation staff in relation to disability awareness, and raising awareness and understanding of various forms of disabilities and promoting inclusive practices through the role of its Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) .

The Legal Services Regulatory Authority(LSRA) is focusing on actively engaging with persons with disabilities through its statutory reporting activities and associated research.