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Dáil
‹ Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation

Bathing water accessibility

Summary

Deputy Connolly called for guidance to local authorities so people with limited mobility and wheelchair users can access bathing waters. The Tánaiste supported the idea and said he would ask that good practice be shared across counties.

I ask that the Government offer some guidance to local authorities on providing access to our bathing waters for people with limited mobility or wheelchair users. The bathing season commenced on 1 June. That term is somewhat archaic. I think we need to look at it. Many people cannot access the waters, and there seems to be some divergence among local authorities as to how they address this situation. I understand that Mayo County Council is very proactive in the area. Unfortunately, however, despite having the apparatus to do so and despite there being two blue-flag beaches in Galway city, people with limited mobility or wheelchair users cannot access our bathing waters. There is a young family in my community. Their daughter, Ruby, a lovely child, is a wheelchair user and she has a strong desire to get to the bathing waters with her family when the weather is good, something I have the good fortune to be able to take for granted for my children. I ask that the Government offer some direction to local authorities as to how they can address this.

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Simon Harris The Tánaiste Fine Gael

That is a really good idea. I think of my local beach in Greystones, where tracks were put in place relatively recently that allow people to walk, push buggies, use wheelchairs, etc. This has been transformational in terms of improving accessibility to the beach. The Deputy's point about accessing bathing water in and of itself is an important one. We are back to this issue again. We do not have to split the atom here. If some counties are doing it well and others are not, we need to share that information. On foot of the Deputy raising this today, I will certainly ask that this happens. I am sitting beside the Minister of State with responsibility for local government. I will ask that we look at how we would convey best practice from some local authorities to others. We will come back to the Deputy directly.

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