Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1059. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills 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. [39669/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is an important EU Directive that will introduce mandatory minimum accessibility requirements for certain products and services in the EU.

Officials in DCEDIY have noted that they have been working for a considerable period of time to coordinate transposition of this complex Directive with a range of Government Departments and public bodies. My Department notes the ongoing work and will work closely with officials to prepare for implementation of the Directive.

Once transposition is complete, that focus will shift to concerted efforts to prepare for implementation of the Directive by 28 June 2025. This work is expected to include interdepartmental and inter-agency consideration of operational procedures, capacity building, and outreach. While DCEDIY is coordinating transposition, implementation of the Directive will be advanced on a "mainstream first" basis, in line with the State’s commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This means implementation and oversight of the Directive will be led by those mainstream organisations already engaged in the oversight of products and services, who will be best placed to lead on sectoral preparations and guidance, with support from DCEDIY and the National Disability Authority.