07 December 2010

Parliamentary Questions

• Value for Money and Policy Review of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Disability Services in Ireland
• Support for people with a disability when voting

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Value for Money and Policy Review of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Disability Services in Ireland

Deputy Alan Shatter (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children if the report that has been prepared on the provision of funding for voluntary agencies by a person (details supplied) has been furnished to her Department; the reason for the delay in the publishing of the report and when she intends to publish same

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): The work of the Steering Group on a Value for Money and Policy Review of the Efficiency andEffectiveness of Disability Services in Ireland chaired by Mr Laurence Crowley is still in progress. Substantial progress has been made on the Review:• A public consultation process was undertaken in late 2009 and attracted almost 200 responses from a wide variety of respondents including service users, family members and service providers. A detailed report on the findings of this process was published on the Department’s website on 3rd December 2010.• In order to inform the work of the VFM Review, an Expert Reference Group (ERG) was established to review current policy on disability services. The work of that Group has been completed and on 3rd December last I also published the key proposals emerging from the work of the ERG for consideration and discussion. It is expected that a formal public consultation on the full report of the ERG will take place in the first half of 2011.• The National Disability Authority (NDA), at the request of the ERG, conducted 15 focus group consultations with people with disabilities, their families, advocates and frontline service providers in March 2010 to inform its advice to the Review. The report of that consultation has been published on the NDA’s website, as too has a detailed Advice Paper prepared by the NDA incorporating the results of the consultation together with other relevant research conducted on behalf of the VFM Steering Group. While substantial progress has been made on the Review some slippage has occurred in terms of the expected completion date because of the breadth and complexities of the services under examination. Difficulties were also experienced earlier this year in accessing data essential to the progress of the Review due to industrial action affecting the Health Service Executive. I expect the Value for Money Steering Group to conclude its work by the second quarter of 2011 and to furnish its final report shortly thereafter. 

• Support for people with a disability when voting

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to allow persons with disabilities and visual impairments the ability to exercise their right to vote in the next election by providing ballot papers in accessible forms using tactile voting devices, Braille, or large print; if he plans to make audio facilities available; the consultation he has undertaken with representative groups of persons with disabilities and any future consultation planned on the issue of voting during elections.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy John Gormley): Recognising that people with disabilities have particular needs, my Department endeavours to ensure that the voting process is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Currently there are two options available to assist voters with a visual impairment, or who are otherwise so physically incapacitated or are unable to read or write to such an extent that they are unable to vote without assistance — they may avail of companion voting or they may seek the assistance of the Presiding Officer. Other measures in place to assist such voters include the requirement to have on display at the polling station a large print version of the ballot paper and the inclusion of candidates’ photographs and party emblems on the ballot paper. My Department is committed, as set out in our Disability Sectoral Plan 2010-2012, to examining the legislative, logistical and financial implications of independent voting, including voting by blind and visually impaired persons. In this context, my Department has met with representatives of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland and is considering a range of options including the use of tactile ballot templates like those in use in other jurisdictions. As with any review of electoral practice, it is necessary to ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained between accessibility and the secrecy and integrity of the ballot, having regard to our electoral system. The Electoral Acts provide for a range of measures to meet the needs of people with physical disabilities, including:

• The requirement on local authorities, in making polling schemes, to appoint as polling places areas where at least one polling station will be accessible to wheelchair users.
• The requirement on Returning Officers, where practicable, to provide polling stations which are accessible to wheelchair users and to give public notice of all polling stations which are inaccessible to wheelchair users not later than eight days before polling day. In our guidance to Returning Officers, my Department has suggested that consideration should be given to providing suitable ramps in the case of polling stations that cannot be reached without negotiating steps.
• The requirement on Returning Officers to put in place arrangements to facilitate the marking and placing in the ballot box of ballot papers by wheelchair users. In our guidance to Returning Officers, my Department has suggested the provision at each polling station of an appropriately located table and chair to facilitate this requirement. If an elector anticipates difficulty in gaining access to his or her polling station, he or she may apply in writing to the Returning Officer for authorisation to vote at another polling station in the same constituency. Furthermore, a person with a physical disability or illness which prevents him or her from going to the polling station can vote by post if he or she applies to be included in the postal voters list which is drawn up each year as part of the register of electors. A person residing in a hospital, nursing home or similar institution who has a physical disability or illness which prevents them from going to the polling station, can vote at the hospital or nursing home if they apply to be included in the special voters list which is drawn up each year as part of the register of electors. In order to be entered on the postal or special voters list, a person must apply to the appropriate local authority by 25 November each year. After that date, an application for inclusion on the supplement to the postal or special voters list may be made. One of the commitments in my Department’s Disability Sectoral Plan is to provide accessible information to assist persons with disabilities to apply for entry on the register of electors and to assist such persons to vote at elections and referenda. My Department, in consultation with the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, has provided information on the electoral system in Ireland in Braille, audio CD and cassette format and online in PDF. This information has been circulated to local authorities who make it available at their public offices and other appropriate locations accessible to members of the public. In further advancing this objective, my Department, in consultation with the National Disability Authority, has issued guidance to Returning Officers on accessible voting. The guidance provides practical assistance to Returning Officers to enable voters with disabilities (including visual impairments) to vote at their local polling station insofar as is practicable. The guidance highlights that election staff should be made aware of the needs of voters with disabilities and sets out practical steps that staff can take to provide a safe and supportive environment on polling day. While comprehensive arrangements are in place to assist participation in the electoral process by individuals with physical disabilities, nonetheless my Department continues to seek to improve these arrangements and to have regard to the special needs of such persons.

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