Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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77. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there are any funding schemes in her Department to support organisations in developing changing places toilet facilities. [50028/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for this question in relation to the provision of changing places toilet facilities. I know from my engagement with disabled people that this is a critical issue when it comes to participation in social and cultural life.

Changing Places toilets are an important instrument for accessibility, ensuring greater accessibility of sanitary facilities to disabled people in ways that enhance individual privacy, safety and dignity. Potential users include individuals with complex care needs, people who require the assistance of carers and personal assistants, motorised wheelchair users and people who need to use hoists.

Decisions regarding the provision of Changing Places Toilets can reside with a number of bodies or persons. Depending on the location it will most likely be the relevant public body, often the local authority, or will be a private matter for a relevant property owner.

In terms of the policy direction and support provided by government, in 2022, Part M of the Building Regulations was amended to make provision for Changing Places Toilets in certain buildings. This was an important step towards improving community participation and social inclusion for disabled people. The Universal Design Guidelines for Changing Places Toilets launched by the NDA in June 2024 is also an important development as it provides additional guidance on the design, management and maintenance of changing places toilets beyond the scope of the building regulations.

Building on this work, this month Government launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, Ireland’s comprehensive plan to advance the realisation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Strategy will advance delivery on targeted actions that collectively capture the full range of issues impacting on the lives of disabled people, including accessibility of the built environment.

There will be more coordinated action on accessibility across government, with greater awareness of good practice in Universal Design, good practice in the built environment, in how we provide information to the public, including through information and communications technologies, and in the design and delivery of services.

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 public spaces, including through the provision of dignified and sanitary toilet facilities, is very important in ensuring that disabled people can participate and thrive within their own communities.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the engagement she has undertaken with disability advocacy groups in terms of ensuring disabled access to public realm and shared public spaces. [50225/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Under Part 3 of the Disability Act 2005, all public bodies are required to ensure that its public buildings are, insofar as practicable, accessible to persons with disabilities. Equally, where a service is provided by a public body, that body is obliged to ensure that the provision of access to the service by persons with disabilities is integrated.

The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 builds on this statutory obligation setting out a commitment to more coordinated action on accessibility across Government. This includes greater awareness of good practice in Universal Design, and the built environment, and good practice in how we provide information to the public, including through information and communications technologies and in the design and delivery of services.

Engagement with disabled people and their representative organisations was key to the development of these commitments, beginning in 2023 and continuing up to the finalisation stage of the Strategy’s development. A wide-ranging consultation and extensive stakeholder engagement process was undertaken that substantively influenced the design and development of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030.

The consultation was underpinned by principles of participation and aimed to be a genuine, accessible, and transparent process which meaningfully engaged with disabled people and included:

• 34 focus group discussions involving 211 participants,
• 18 interviews with disabled individuals,
• Five large consultation meetings in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and online.
• 81 written and 4 video submissions from DPOs, disability organisations, individuals, and other interest groups,
• A national survey completed by 484 disabled people or carers, family members and supporters of people with disabilities.