Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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133. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to review the Building Regulations, 2010, Part M (Access and Use) to ensure higher wheelchair accessibility standards in new houses and apartments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12083/22]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Building Regulations apply to the design and construction of all new buildings (including dwellings) and to certain works to existing buildings. They are subject to ongoing review in the interests of safety and the well-being of persons in the built environment and to ensure that due regard is taken of changes in construction techniques, technological progress and innovation.

The Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010, and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), which came into effect on 1 January 2012, set out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access and use.

The accompanying Technical Guidance Document M – Access and Use (2010), sets out the minimum statutory requirements that a building must achieve in respect of access. The TGDs are available on my Department’s website at: .

The requirements of Part M aim to ensure that regardless of age, size or disability:

- new buildings other than dwellings are accessible and usable;

- extensions to existing buildings other than dwellings are, where practicable, accessible and useable;

- material alterations to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings, where practicable;

- certain changes of use to existing buildings other than dwellings increase the accessibility and usability of existing buildings where practicable; and

- new dwellings are visitable.

Part M aims to foster an inclusive approach to the design and construction of the built environment. While the Part M requirements may be regarded as a statutory minimum level of provision, the accompanying technical guidance encourages building owners and designers to have regard to the design philosophy of universal design and to consider making additional provisions where practicable and appropriate.

Since 2011 housing for disabled people has been addressed in a dedicated joint Strategy between the Department and the Department of Health. A new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027  was launched on 14 January 2022. (See Press release available at .

The new Strategy sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, state agencies and others in delivering housing and the related supports for disabled people over the next five years. This new Strategy will operate within the framework of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland which is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including those with disabilities and older people. Preparation of an Implementation Plan for the Strategy will begin in the first quarter of 2022 with a target for completion by the second quarter.

Separately, Action 97 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 states – “We will prepare policy advice on ways of achieving universal design solutions for new housing so that new homes can be accessed and used by all persons, irrespective of size, age, ability or disability. We will advise on any implications of same for stakeholders including designers, builders, homeowners and tenants.” I understand that the National Disability Authority (NDA), which falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth, is working on this policy advice. The NDA are an independent statutory body that provides information and advice to the Government on policy and practice relevant to the lives of persons with disabilities.

The NDA also provides comprehensive guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily accessed and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability. 'Building for Everyone, A Universal Design Approach', a NDA publication, may be accessed at www.nda.ie.

The ‘Programme for Government Our Shared Future’ commits to ensuring that there is an appropriate mix of housing design types provided, including universally designed units, and accommodation for older people and people with disabilities.

The joint policy statement Housing Options for Our Ageing Population, launched by my Department and the Department of Health in 2019, includes an Action on universal design to “In partnership with industry, introduce measures to ensure that over a five year period delivery is increased to ensure that 30% of all new dwellings are built to incorporate universal design principles to accommodate our ageing population.”  Appropriate analysis to identify delivery approaches to address this commitment is currently being undertaken by the NDA.