In meeting its commitments under the Sectoral Plan, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources will implement the following:
- It will appoint a senior official with specific responsibility for disability accessibility matters within the Department who will be responsible for overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the Plan.
- In the drafting of new legislation, the Department will ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are fully addressed.
- The Department will incorporate a disability proofing strategy in undertaking its regulatory impact analysis when developing new policies, practices and services, and in its review of existing policies, practices and services.
- The commitments, relevant to the Department in the Sectoral Plan, will be included in the Department’s Statement of Strategy and related business Plans when next prepared and progress on implementation will be included in the Department’s Annual Reports.
- Progress reports on the implementation of the Plan will be submitted to, and considered by the Department’s Management Board on a six monthly basis.
- In the roll-out of the Sectoral Plan, the Department will liase very closely with the National Disability Authority.
- The Department will participate fully in the High-Level Group on Disability, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, which will co-ordinate the implementation of the various Sectoral Plans under the Disability Act, 2005 and address any cross-Departmental issues arising.
Approach to Implementation:
A cross cutting team approach has been adopted for the implementation of the requirements under the Act which apply to the Department and public bodies under its aegis generally.
The National Disability Authority (NDA) has developed a Code of Practice in order to support public bodies in fulfilling their statutory obligations under sections 26, 27 and 28 of the Disability Act, 2005. Compliance with this Code will be considered as compliance with the relevant provisions of the Act.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has declared by statutory order (S.I. No. 163 of 2006) that the NDA Code relating to sections 26, 27 and 28 of the Disability Act, 2005 is to be the approved Code of Practice.
The Attorney General advises that all public bodies to which the provisions of the Code apply should consider those provisions as if they are legally binding statutory obligations.
The Department will use the NDA Code of Practice as its guide in relation to compliance.
The Department will ensure that its Business Plans across each business area reflect the work in meeting its obligations under the Disability Act, 2005.
Key Activities:
The key activities in progress or already undertaken to ensure compliance with the Act include:
- Key stakeholders both internally and externally have been identified and responsibility broadly assigned for the delivery of the necessary internal actions, inputs and deliverables.
- A review of the procurement procedures will be conducted to ensure that the specific requirements of the Disability Act in relation to procurement of goods and services are adhered to and, where technical specifications are set out in any procurement that they will, whenever possible, take into account accessibility criteria for people with disabilities.
- The Department’s existing Customer Service Charter will be updated to include actions to meet the requirement of the Department under the Act in support of both the external and internal customer.
- The next internal customer service survey will be used to identify any deficits that may exist in service delivery and allow for these to be comprehensively addressed in accordance with the Code of Practice on Accessibility.
- A review of the Department’s compliance with the target for the employment of people with disabilities is carried out annually and reported as required under Sustaining Progress. This process will continue and reports will be made to NDA as required under the Act.
Regulatory Impact Analysis:
The Department is adopting the Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) approach to consultation in accordance to the Guidelines issued by the Department of the Taoiseach in October 2005. RIA is being applied to all proposals for primary legislation involving changes to the regulatory framework, all significant Statutory Instruments and all proposed EU directives and significant regulations.
Preparation of Statements of Strategy:
The Department’s approach to reflecting the requirements of the Disability Act in its Statements of Strategy is based on the general guidelines issued by the Department of the Taoiseach concerning the preparation of Statements of Strategy.
Legal:
The Public Service Management Act, 1997, provides that existing Strategy Statements be reviewed and updated no later than three years after the last statements were prepared or within six months of the appointment of a new Minister. Secretaries General and Heads of Office are obliged under Section 4, of the 1997 Act, to submit Statements to Ministers within six months of the
Minister coming into office.
Essentially, a Statement of Strategy is a forward-looking document that serves as a framework for action by the Department/Office. While the primary focus of the statement relates to delivering the key Government policy objectives for the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources remit, it should be consistent with key Government initiatives which cut across some or all Departments and Offices. These include, in particular, the requirements of the Disability Act, 2005 in respect of public bodies and relevant guidelines issued by the National Disability Authority, in particular their Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services.
Cross-Departmental:
Statements of Strategy will be consistent with the cross-departmental approach in place to progress the disability agenda. They will highlight this fact and identify bodies under the aegis of the Department which have key roles in tackling the issue. Where relevant, Statements will be consistent with the agreed priorities identified by the appropriate Cabinet Committee which may also be a forum for considering the treatment of key cross-cutting issues in the preparation of Statements of Strategy.
Stakeholders:
The views of customers, representative and advisory bodies and stakeholders on disability issues will be considered when preparing Statements of Strategy. Consultation with the NDA is important and will be explicitly referenced in the Statements. The Statements will clearly show how customer/client expectations and needs (including internal customers) have been assessed. Assessment will be based on research of customer needs and where possible customer consultation will underpin and inform the Statements of Strategy. To this end, the statements will show a clear link between the Customer Service Action Plan and the development of associated objectives.
Employment:
The target for employment of people with disabilities in the Civil Service, currently 3%, is set by the Minister for Finance. At present people with disabilities represent 5.4% of staff of this Department. Our goal is to maintain and enhance compliance with the Government’s employment target.
Monitoring Arrangements
The Department will establish, within six months of the publication of this plan, a committee representative of people with disabilities, the NDA and the Sectors covered in the Plan, to monitor its implementation. This committee will have specific terms of reference and reporting arrangements. The Department of Communications Marine and Natural Resources will continue to participate in interdepartmental co-ordinating and monitoring structures for the National Disability Strategy, including the Sectoral Plans under the Disability Act, 2005. It will also participate in arrangements to be put in place to ensure a continued constructive relationship with stakeholders in relation to progress on the National Disability Strategy as a whole. This will include bi-annual meetings between senior officials and other stakeholders in line with the commitments contained in the social partnership agreement, “Towards 2016”.