Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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20. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to examine whether people with disabilities are being adequately represented on the board of management of State transport companies, disability advocates are still concerned that these regulations are still not being enforced and therefore many companies are breaking the rules which clearly state that people with disabilities must be fairly represented. [10169/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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29. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to examine the representation of people with disabilities on the boards of management of State transport companies; to provide a list of what companies are following the Department of Transport’s own regulations on this specific issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10167/25]

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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30. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he is taking to enforce regulations which aims to have adequate representation for people with disabilities on the boards of management of State transport companies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10168/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 29 and 30 together.

Following clarifications provided by the Deputy that the questions refer to all the agencies under the remit of my Department concerning the Management Executive team in relation to the Disability Act 2005, I can inform to the Deputy that relevant agencies under my Department’s remit make an annual return in keeping with the requirements outlined under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005 related to monitoring the employment of persons with disabilities in the public sector. This requirement does not oblige the grade of an individual with a disability to be noted and therefore the Department does not hold records regarding the Management Executive team specifically.

Regarding the appointment of directors to State Boards under my Department’s remit, and specifically Public Transport Boards as noted by the Deputy, I am aware of an initiative by one of my predecessors to encourage people with a disability to apply for positions. This is an initiative which I continue to support. I am wholly committed to promoting diversity and inclusion on the State Boards under my remit as Minister for Transport, to widen access to a broader range of experiences, perspectives, and skillsets. As a commitment in the Programme for Government, the Department of An Taoiseach is establishing a unit within its Department which will focus on disability, reflecting a commitment to a step change in supports and services required by people with disabilities. This new Disability Unit will be tasked with targeting employment opportunities for people with disabilities, particularly focusing on opportunities within the public sector. In my role as Minister for Transport I will be engaging with that unit with an emphasis on addressing the wider issues such as ensuring that all public transport operators provide safe and accessible access for all passengers.