Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Dooley. I call Senator Costello.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue concerning tactile paving, dished crossings and the safety of blind and visually impaired people when navigating our streets and communities.

I am raising this matter on behalf of one of my constituents from Tallaght, Mr. Vincent Stack, who is part of an organisation called Voice of Vision Impairment. Mr. Stack is blind, and to better understand his concerns, I walked a number of routes with him in Tallaght so I could experience first-hand the challenges blind people face every day. I can tell the House now that it was a nerve-wracking experience for me.

To be honest, I had never heard of tactile paving and I had never really given much consideration to the obstacles faced by people with visual impairments. What stuck out for me was inconsistency. Within a short walking distance, different types of tactile paving were in use. As Vincent explained, some were easy to detect and provided clear information, while others were not as noticeable. For a sighted person, this may seem like a minor issue, but for a blind person, it can mean the difference between feeling safe and confident or feeling uncertain and vulnerable.

This is why I am asking the Minister of State whether there is an agreed national specification or standard for the sourcing and installation of tactile paving slabs and dished crossings across Ireland. Tactile paving is not simply a different type of surface. For blind and visually impaired people, it provides essential information. It tells them they are approaching a crossing point, identifies potential hazards and helps them to navigate independently. When tactile paving varies from one location to another, that information becomes less reliable.

One issue Vincent highlighted repeatedly was that many blind people feel they are constantly forced to second-guess themselves. When standing at a crossing, they should know immediately that they have arrived at a crossing point. They should not have to stop and question whether the paving beneath their feet is intended to indicate a crossing or whether it is simply another type of paving finish. Vincent pointed to the tactile paving outside the Maldron Hotel on the N81 in Tallaght as the best example he has encountered anywhere in this country. In his view, the height of the raised bumps and the spacing between them makes the surface much easier to identify underfoot. The tactile information is clear, distinct and immediately recognisable. He believes that this is exactly how tactile paving should function. When he stands on those slabs, he knows where he is and does not have to second-guess himself. By way of contrast, he showed me other locations where the tactile paving is so shallow or inconsistent that it provides little meaningful information.

For people with conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, which can reduce sensation in the feet, this issue is even more significant and can go hand in hand with blindness. If tactile indicators are not sufficiently pronounced, they may fail to provide the information they were designed to communicate.

The difference between knowing and guessing is significant. It is the different between confidence and anxiety. It is the difference between independence and having to rely on assistance. It is ultimately a matter of safety. I understand technical considerations are involved and that achieving consistency nationwide cannot happen overnight. However, Ireland has standards for electrical installations, building regulations, road markings and countless other aspects of public infrastructure. It is very reasonable of me to ask whether the same approach should apply to tactile paving and dished crossings.

If a national standard does not currently exist, I believe one should be developed in consultation with blind and visually impaired people. I can bring a lot of them to the table. Vincent himself has suggested that blind people should be involved in assessing and testing the different tactile paving designs before standards are adopted, ensuring that decisions are informed by those who rely on them every day. From speaking to Vincent, I know that among the blind and visually impaired community these concerns are widely shared. It is not an isolated issue affecting one individual; it is affecting thousands of them. A clear national standard should be incorporated into all new public realm projects, road upgrades and pedestrian infrastructure works. Over time, that would lead to greater consistency across the country and would ensure future generations of blind and visually impaired people encounter the same clear and reliable information when they travel. It is ultimately about safety, dignity and independence.

I welcome our dear friend, former Deputy Humphreys. I think he was a Member of this House as well. He is coming back to check up on us today. It is good to see him here with his colleagues. It is good to have him in the House.

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, is Ireland’s national standards body operating under the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act 1996. The NSAI is under the remit of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The NSAI develops standards for products and services upon request of industry, regulators or policymakers. Indigenous standards may be promulgated, produced or developed where no existing international or European standards have been adopted or proposed.

The National Standards Authority of Ireland has confirmed to the Department that there is an Irish standard recommendation, reference No. SR CEN/TS 15209:2021, which relates to tactile paving surface indicators produced from concrete, clay and stone. This standard specifies the method of measurement and the acceptance criteria for the dimensions for surface profile features and patterns for the surface of pedestrian paving units, used to convey information for visually impaired people. It applies to paving units made of concrete, clay and stone where the tactile profiles are monolithic with the unit. The surface profiles are intended to be applied to units manufactured to IS EN 1338:2003 and IS EN 1339:2003. There are other standards from 2012 and 2013, which I will provide to the Senator, which can be square or rectangular as specified by the designer. It does not specify dimensions of a single tactile paving layout or profile but proposes ranges within which these dimensions should fall, which I think, if I heard the Senator correctly, would indicate that, notwithstanding the fact that a standard is in place, there is a variance in it and that is what is causing the most difficulty for the constituent. It proposes methods of measurement of profiles, light reflectance and colour but does not specify requirements for these characteristics. These properties will be decided by the designer, taking into account the regulations, codes of practice and guidance in the place of use of the units. It does not specify material characteristics.

This Irish standard recommendation - SR CEN/TS 15209:2021 - is the national adoption of the European technical specification developed and published by CEN, the European Committee for Standardisation. All European standards are adopted as national standards. CEN is a European standardisation organisation designated under EU regulation 1025/2012 that brings together the national standards bodies of 34 European countries, of which the NSAI is the Irish national standards body.

It should be noted that the paving slabs are required to be CE marked in accordance with the construction products regulation citations of 2003, 2012 and 2013, depending on the base material of paving element. It is the understanding of the Department that guidance in the use of tactile paving surface indicators is provided in the design manual for urban roads and streets, DMURS. This DMURS document dates from 2013 and was prepared collaboratively by the Department of Transport and the then Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

I thank the Minister of State. I now see where the problem lies. I want to put on the record that I have huge issues with the DMURS. They would be better placed, instead of narrowing roads and junctions and making them totally uncomfortable for people to drive on, to focus on tactile paving and to have a standardised approach in order that blind people can navigate their communities safely. DMURS needs to be revisited. I appreciate the Minister of State coming in and providing all the information but, at the end of the day, I walked around with a man who was blind and it was just unfair. There were all different styles. There should be one type of tactile paving. There should be an agreed style. DMURS needs to be revisited because it is not up to scratch if blind people are being let down. They are spending thousands in Tallaght narrowing our roads and junctions in housing estates unnecessarily. I walked around with a blind man in Tallaght. I asked Vincent not to be knocked down while he was with me. The audio at traffic lights was turned off. How are the man and his dog meant to know when to cross? DMURS drives me mad. I had to get that off my chest.

I thank the Senator. I get it. I can tell by her that she is passionate about this because she has seen what she perceives to be a failure by all concerned to provide safe passage insofar as we can for somebody who is visually challenged. It is about having a joined-up system. I am happy to work with the Senator to get her introductions in the Department of housing, which has a responsibility to the local authority, the Department of Transport, etc., to try to get some coherence to this. The standards are a good idea. Sometimes people deviate from that because there is a broad range. At a minimum, what we would like to see is that if somebody in Tallaght goes for a purposed walk somewhere and take a bus somewhere else, when they get off the bus or even on their walk from one end of Tallaght to the other, that there is a uniformity there. It is challenging enough for people. The Senator's colleague, Senator Conway, has done a lot. He is part of the NCBI. I know it advocates regularly. There may be an opportunity there because Members work well in this House on a cross-party basis. There may be an opportunity for a number of Members to work together and take this on as a project that could hopefully have a positive outcome on the other end. I thank the Senator for her advocacy in this area. It is noted and welcomed.

Before we move to our next Commencement matter, I welcome two guests in the Visitors' Gallery - Diarmuid Cronin and Elizabeth Barron from Rylane, County Cork. Tá fáilte rompu. I see they are in the safe hands of my colleague, Deputy Aindrias Moynihan. I hope they enjoy their day.