The National Disability Authority provided ongoing advice on the implementation of the National Disability Strategy to the Minister, to each of the Departments with a Sectoral Plan, and to relevant agencies such as the Health Service Executive, local authorities, state transport companies and the communications and energy regulators.
The National Disability Authority has presented policy advice papers twice yearly to the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group. The National Disability Strategy continued to be progressed in 2010 as a whole-of-Government approach to advancing the disability agenda and promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the mainstream of Irish society. Towards the end of 2010 the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs began work on the composition of a National Disability Strategy Recession Implementation Plan which had been a commitment of the Renewed Programme for Government of October 2009.
The National Disability Authority provided input into draft Guidelines for Disability Impact Assessments. This document is designed to guide Ministers and Departments on implementing the requirement in the Cabinet Handbook to assess the impact on people with disabilities of proposals in significant Memoranda to Government. The National Disability Authority also advised on piloting process for the draft Guidelines.
The National Disability Authority contributed policy advice papers to the Government Departments, and to a number of state agencies, that were obliged to develop new Strategy Statements covering 2011-2013. These policy advice papers contained particular recommendations on disability matters for inclusion in the Strategy Statements. The policy advice papers also advised on building-in to the Strategy Statements the required measures to comply with the obligation to deliver accessible public services and to promote and support the employment and retention of people with disabilities.
From the 1 June 2010[2] ministerial responsibility for the National Disability Authority transferred from the former Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the newly constituted Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Minister subsequently delegated his powers and functions in the Disability Act 2005 and the National Disability Authority Act 1999 to the Minister of State at the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs[3].
The reorganisation of Government Departments[4] had been announced by An Taoiseach on 23 March 2010 and meant a transition period for the original six Departments with a sectoral plan
The biggest change occurred in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment where almost all areas covered in that Department's sectoral plan were relocated between the renamed Department of Social Protection and Department of Education and Skills, thus bringing the latter into the sectoral planning domain for the first time. The other Departments with a sectoral plan held their titles and remits during 2010.
The Director of the National Disability Authority is a council member of the National Council for Special Education, and the National Disability Authority is also a member of its Advisory Group on Research in Special Education. The National Disability Authority provided advice on its Review of the Role of Special Education Schools and Classes. The National Disability Authority also provided briefing to the National Council for Special Education in relation to their appearance before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills.
The National Disability Authority undertook a literature review on the inclusion of children with disabilities in early education and care. The National Disability Authority also engaged with the Office for Disability and Mental Health and the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, with regard to further work on international good practice in this area in train to inform a future National Disability Authority policy advice paper.
The Disability Act 2005 contains a provision for the review of its operation after five years. The National Disability Authority hosted an information event to facilitate disability organisations in making an input into the review. The National Disability Authority also prepared a detailed policy advice paper identifying operational issues that had arisen under different sections of the Act and suggested practical ways in which they might be resolved. In light of changes in Departmental configuration and responsibilitiesne example involved suggested amendments to the provisions dealing with the sectoral plans. The National Disability Authority also put forward some technical amendments designed to bring about the better operation of the Act as originally intended when it was drafted.
The National Disability Authority provided a detailed policy advice paper to the Department of Health and Children's Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services, and presented on the paper's findings to the Value for Money and Policy Review Group. The paper was primarily based on a comparative study of the systems of disability services and supports including commissioned research on costs of disability services in six jurisdictions: England, Scotland, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand and Victoria (Australia).
This paper advised that the following values should underpin disability service provision and should be incorporated as conditions for the award of funding, and embedded in mandatory service standards:
A senior staff member of the National Disability Authority was also a member of the Policy Reference Group of the Value for Money and Policy Review of HSE-funded Disability Services (all members of the Policy Reference Group were members in an individual capacity).
A senior National Disability Authority staff member was a member of the HSE's Congregated Settings Working Group which examined alternatives to institutional living for some 4,000 people with an intellectual, physical or sensory disability living in centres of ten or more people. The National Disability Authority did significant work on the literature review and on analysis of a survey of these centres for the Congregated Settings Working Group's report. The Working Group submitted its report to the HSE in mid-2010.
The National Disability Authority's Director is a member of the Independent Monitoring Group on a Vision for Change The National Disability Authority gave a policy advice paper to the Department of Health and Children and the Independent Monitoring Group on a Vision for Change, on how aspects of A Vision for Change might be progressed through the National Disability Strategy.
The National Disability Authority held a roundtable with the Health Information and Quality Authority and disability service providers to inform its advice on the Health Information and Quality Authority's draft Better Safer Healthcare Standards. This event clarified that the draft Standards are intended to apply to disability care settings as well as to mainstream health settings and enabled consideration of the specific issues involved for people with disabilities.
The National Disability Authority prepared a policy advice paper setting out an agreed approach by the Department of Health and Children and health sector stakeholders to supports for employment for people with high support needs. This paper is under discussion by the inter-departmental group on disability and employment.
The National Disability Authority is a member of the local advisory group to the Department of Social Protection's Disability Activation Project. The Project receives monies from the European Social Fund and works in partnership with local stakeholders including FÁS, the HSE and Vocational Education Committees. The Project has involved piloting supports for engaging with people with disabilities including tailored training programmes. The Project also seeks to model the inter-agency partnerships required to deliver effective pathways towards inclusion and employment.
The National Disability Authority was on the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's Advisory Group on the development of a national housing strategy for people with disabilities, as well as the sub-group on mental health, and the drafting sub-group for the national housing strategy.
The National Disability Authority engaged with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's Planning Section as well as a steering group with local authority and Bord Pleanála planning expertise, to develop a specific booklet with guidance for planners as part of the National Disability Authority's Building for Everyone series. The National Disability Authority also advised on draft guidelines for local area plans, on spatial planning, on national roads and on retail planning. The National Disability Authority suggested model text on universal design and accessibility in planning to local authorities for inclusion in their Development Plans.
The National Disability Authority is a member of the Local Government Management Services Board's Steering Group which supports implementation by local authorities of commitments in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's sectoral plan. The National Disability Authority is also represented on its sub-groups on Access, on Training and Communications, and on Guidelines for the preparation of a Disability Access Certificate. During 2010, the work of the Steering Group continued on developing guidance for local authorities on Inclusive Play Space, and on guidance for personnel installing public ATM equipment.
The Minister for Transport published the Guidelines for Accessible Maritime Passenger Transport on 6 March 2010. The development and publication of these guidelines was a partnership initiative between the National Disability Authority and the Maritime Section of the Department of Transport. The guidelines are the first of their kind in Ireland and provide top tips on all aspects of a journey such as providing accessible information for planning the journey, improvements to shore side facilities in ports, harbours and piers, improving access on board vessels, disability awareness training for staff, emergency planning and improving customer relations for all passengers. The guidelines will be distributed to all boat and port operators, relevant Government Departments and stakeholders.
The National Disability Authority, in conjunction with the Department of Transport, held a seminar for the marine passenger industry to promote the Guidelines, and the accessibility of Ports and Vessels. The seminar also discussed future changes to arise from recent developments in the EU, such as the draft Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of Ministers concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by sea and inland waterways, as well as related national legislation.
The National Disability Authority provided ongoing advice through the Taxi Advisory Council and regular contact with the Commission for Taxi Regulation. Issues advised on included:
The National Disability Authority has expressed its concern at the likely diminution of an already small wheelchair accessible taxi fleet, given the age of the fleet, and has sought to identify practical ways to encourage investment in supply.
The National Disability Authority continued to engage with other key transport stakeholders and:
The National Disability Authority made a submission to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on RTÉ's New Services Proposal. This focused on the wealth of opportunities for universally accessible broadcast services based on the roll-out of Digital Terrestrial Television. It also covered proposals to effectively deliver on the inclusion of people with disabilities in programming, both as content subjects and also as participants.
The National Disability Authority also made a submission to RTÉ on its Public Service Statement Consultation, highlighting issues such as:
The Authority hosted three meetings of the Commission's Industry Forum on Services for People with Disabilities, for telecommunications providers and disability organisations. Key areas of focus included:
The National Disability Authority also sent a number of policy advice papers to the Commission covering its: Strategic Plan; Universal Service Obligations; Premium Rated Services. The National Disability Authority also has continued input as a member of Commission's Consumer Advisory Panel.
The National Disability Authority submitted a policy advice paper to the Commission in relation to its consultation paper on its Electricity and Gas Codes of Practice Guidance for Suppliers 2010 and had follow up meetings with the Regulator. Suggestions made by the National Disability Authority are reflected in the draft guidelines including disability proofing of standard services in order to maximise mainstreaming; provision of standard format information in at least one alternative format of customer's choice; and particular issues relating to vulnerable customers who require electricity for aids and equipment, etc because of the nature of their disability. The National Disability Authority also provided advice to the Commission on piloting of smart meters and the importance of universal design.
The National Disability Authority was a member of the sectoral plan monitoring committee in each Government Department, as well as the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group. The National Disability Authority provided policy advice papers on monitoring strategic and cross-Departmental elements of the National Disability Strategy prior to the bi-annual meetings of the Monitoring Group, as well as policy advice papers on the mental health aspects of the National Disability Strategy.
The National Disability Authority provided the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group with a policy advice paper on some 50 outcome indicators for the National Disability Strategy linked to each of the high-level goals, as well as baseline data under each of the indicators. This data consisted of published data (e.g. Census 2006, Quarterly National Household Survey, EU-Survey on Income and Living Conditions); special cross-tabulations conducted by the Central Statistics Office at the Authority's request and disability specific data (e.g. the national disability databases managed by the Health Research Board). In addition, the Authority commissioned a population-based survey of people with disabilities to gather data that was not available from existing sources.
The National Disability Authority continued to provide the secretariat for the Disability Stakeholder Group, which is an independent grouping drawn from the voluntary and community sector, and which is a member of the National Disability Strategy Stakeholder Monitoring Group as well as a member of the monitoring groups at Departmental level. The Group includes:
Public bodies are required to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities in the public service, with a target of having people with disabilities comprising 3% of their workforce. The National Disability Authority has the statutory function to monitor compliance with these provisions.
The National Disability Authority's Report on compliance in 2009 showed that across the public sector as a whole, the proportion of reported staff with disabilities rose to 2.9% in 2009 from 2.7% in 2008. The total number of public service employees with a disability for 2009 was 6,380, an increase of just under 300 over the corresponding 2008 figure. Some of the recorded change is likely to reflect improved data collection and rates of disclosure, as well as any underlying improvement.
All Government Departments met the 3% target in 2009 as in 2008; 4.2% of staff for 2009 compared to 3.9% for 2008. 82% of local government bodies reached the 3% target indicating that 3.7% of people employed across this sector had a disability.
There was a slight decrease in the number of public bodies achieving or exceeding the 3% target - 53.5% for 2009 compared to 55% for 2008. Of note is the fact that 22% of the reporting bodies had fewer than ten staff each.
Under section 49 of the Disability Act 2005, the National Disability Authority may formally recommend specific actions, with the consent of the relevant Minister, to a public body that has failed to comply with its legal obligations in this area for two consecutive years, and the public body must comply with those recommendations. Those legal obligations are subject to qualifying phrases such as 'as far as practicable' and 'unless there are good reasons to the contrary'. During 2010, the National Disability Authority engaged with a number of public bodies to identify if there were any factors to explain their performance in relevant successive years. No public body was formally declared as non-compliant, however the Authority's advice and guidance was conveyed, on a non-statutory basis, to bodies considered as having significant scope for improvement.