Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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142. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline her Department's efforts to make towns and villages more accessible for people with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20781/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Government is committed to ensuring that disabled people are supported to live full lives of their own choosing, on an equitable basis with all others in society. The accessibility of towns and villages is very important in ensuring that disabled people can participate and thrive within their own communities. It is also complex, encompassing the provision of safe, reliable and accessible public transport, inclusive and accessible community resources, the role of local authorities in ensuring an accessible built environment and so much more, going well beyond the remit of any one department or Minister.

In ensuring accessible towns and villages across the country, all departments and public bodies must work together to realise the entitlement recognised in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for disabled people to be active participants in inclusive communities.

To develop and coordinate the necessary whole of government work on disability issues, my Department is leading on the development of the next National Disability Strategy, which will be a framework for ambitious joined up action on disability policy. The Strategy will provide the structures to problem solve issues in collaboration with colleagues across departments and public sector bodies, in partnership with disability stakeholders.

The development of the next National Disability Strategy will be a milestone achievement for Government and disability stakeholders working in partnership, representing a step-change in how we deliver disability policy in Ireland. Development work is ongoing across government and with disability stakeholders toward finalisation of the Strategy as soon as possible.