Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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343. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the staffing levels and legal expertise available in disability access offices within local authorities; if additional resources will be allocated to ensure timely responses and compliance with accessibility obligations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67724/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Disability Act 2005 places a statutory obligation on public bodies, including local authorities, to support access to services and facilities, for people with disabilities. Under Section 26(2) of the Disability Act 2005 each public body is required to have at least one officer authorised to act in the capacity of an access officer. That officer is responsible, where appropriate, for providing or arranging for and co-ordinating assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities in accessing the services provided by that body.

Policy responsibility for the Disability Act 2005 rests with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.

Under Section 149 of the Local Government Act 2001, the Chief Executive of a local authority is responsible for the executive functions of the local authority, and for that purpose to manage and control generally, the administration and business of the local authority, subject to law. Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that the Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he/she is responsible.

My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis. However, granular data, in terms of the number of staff assigned to specific work areas in each local authority, is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from each local authority.