Written answers
Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
EU Directives
Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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727. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the preparations being undertaken by his Department in advance of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882); the guidance that is being issued by his Department to organisations and businesses in advance of the enactment of the directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39661/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) advocates for a universal design or ‘design for all’ approach to accessibility, ensuring access to products and services for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is the Lead Government Department with the remit of the transposition and implementation of the Directive on behalf of Government departments with the deadline of the 28 June 2025. DCEDIY is currently engaging with a range of departments, agencies and EU bodies to reach agreement on key policy decisions.
While not the Lead Government Department in this policy area, my Department is certainly committed to supporting this development and implementation of the European Accessibility Act and the successor to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-21, the key framework for policy and action to address the rights of persons with disabilities in Ireland.
My Department engages frequently with the National Disability Authority regarding policies relevant to persons with disabilities. My department is represented on a range on interdepartmental committees of relevance to the representation of people with disabilities. These include:
- Working Group on the development of a Well-being Framework for Ireland
- Oireachtas Disability Group
- Interdepartmental Committee on Human Rights
- Interdepartmental Committee on access to services by ‘off-line’ citizens
In accordance with Section 26(2) of the Disability Act 2005, two Access Officers are appointed who are responsible for providing or arranging for, assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities accessing services provided by the Department, when requested, and generally to act as a point of contact for people wishing to access such services. In addition to the Access Officers, department officials are available in all regions to help applicants who have questions or concerns on any scheme operated by the department. We have an Accessibility officer to facilitate contact with the department and take suitable measures as necessary.
The move of my department’s website to the www.gov.ie portal enabled the redesign of this platform to comply with the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and National Disability Authority (NDA) guidelines. This includes ensuring that content on the website is at a suitable reading comprehension level.
As is fully appropriate and in conjunction with the relevant lead Department, my Department will engage proactively and as necessary to ensure implementation of the European Accessibility Act and the successor to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-21.
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