People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
I would like to congratulate James McClean and Mary Mulryan on their appointments as Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of PwDI, respectively. Both bring a wealth of experience and excellent track records of achievement, both in their county Networks - Donegal and Mayo - and elsewhere. James also represents PwDI on the European Disability Forum.
I would like to extend my thanks to outgoing Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, Nigel Brander and Lottie McClure, for their many years of excellent work.
If any one incident points to how thorough PwDI must be in its role of watchdog, as well as contributor to public policy on disability, it was the news that broke on the May bank holiday weekend that Bus Éireann had ordered 60 new intercity coaches, none of which are wheelchair accessible.
This is happening at a time when we have a National Disability Strategy and at a time when the Department of Transport has a policy of Transport for All.
When questioned by The Irish Times about its decision, Bus Éireann was quoted as saying there was an industry reluctance to manufacture wheelchair-accessible buses. Yet, the company from which the coaches were ordered was boasting on its website that it had been manufacturing wheelchair-accessible coaches since 2003.
PwDI swiftly intervened and within weeks Bus Éireann was displaying accessible coaches to us, a very welcome move (see page 4).
Another example of a major failure in public service to people with disabilities is the Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs grant. In April we pointed out that up to €20 million allocated to Local Authorities for this programme could be going unspent because of inordinate delays in getting grants and the inability of people on very low incomes to meet the €2,000 shortfall in the grant. As we go to press the long promised review of the programme by the Department of Environment and Local Government has not yet been published.
What such incidents point up is the difficult task we have as watchdogs. Where less than full information is forthcoming, our members need to have the skills to ask searching questions. This is the only way we can ensure that the public commitments of the Taoiseach and Government Ministers are actually achieved in the implementation process.
To this end we have organised a series of training programmes both for existing and new board members and others in representative positions. We will continue over the course of the year to develop and tailor such programmes to meet identified needs of members and representatives.
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