Annual Report 2005 - The National Disability Authority

Annual Report 2005
consultation, the final Sectoral Plans must be brought to the Oireachtas
by July 2006. The six Departments are Communications, Marine and
Natural Resources; Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Environment and
Local Government; Health and Children; Social and Family Affairs; and
Transport.
• A multi-annual package of funding of some €900m
- An investment package has been allocated to support high priority
disability services during the four year period 2005 to 2009.
The Education of Persons with Special Education Needs Act (2004) is also a relevant
part of the overall package of measures introduced by Government to address
disability issues.
The strategy has been an important context for the NDA’s work during 2005.
New responsibilities assigned to the
NDA by the Disability Act 2005
This Act assigned new functions to the NDA. These are
• preparation of draft Codes of Practice in relation to the accessibility of public
services under Part 3 of the Act, where requested by the Minister for Justice
Equality and Law Reform;
• monitoring the employment target for people with disabilities in the public
service, which is put on a statutory footing in Part 5 of the Act;
• establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Universal Design, to operate from
January 2007.
During 2005 the NDA prepared a draft Code of Practice on Accessible Public Services
following a request from the Minister and began preliminary work in relation to
monitoring the employment target for people with disabilities and the establishment of
a Centre of Excellence in Universal Design.
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