Back10 year delay in providing transport supports for people with disabilities is ‘shameful’
Ombudsman Ger Deering has said that it is ‘shameful’ that there is still no suitable government support to help people with disabilities access personal transport. This is despite a commitment from government over ten years ago to develop an appropriate scheme, and reports from two government departments highlighting the need for such supports.
Speaking at the publication of his annual report for 2022, Ger Deering said:
“The manner in which people with disabilities continue to be denied access to personal transport supports is nothing short of shameful. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done but no one seems to be willing to take action”.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, there is an onus on the Irish government to provide access to transportation on an equal basis with others to enable people with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in society. The Ombudsman said that the current situation for people with disabilities is unfair and unacceptable.
Highest number of complaints ever made to Ombudsman in 2022
The Ombudsman, Ger Deering, said that 2022 saw the highest number of complaints ever received by his Office. There were 4,791 complaints about public service bodies, an increase of over 19% on the 2021 figure. (This increase is primarily a result of the 835 complaints about the Passport Service. Complaints mainly related to delays in processing applications. It is expected that there will be a significant fall-off in such complaints in 2023 as the Passport Office engaged constructively with the Ombudsman’s Office throughout 2022 to help resolve the issues and improve its customer service).
Ger Deering said that complaints about government departments and Offices accounted for the largest number of complaints with 1,842 - an increase of 73% on 2021. This included 853 complaints about the Department of Foreign Affairs (including 835 passport complaints), and 621 complaints about the Department of Social Protection.
There were 1,269 complaints about local authorities (down 2% on 2021) with most relating to housing issues. This included 200 complaints about Dublin City Council, 86 about Limerick City and County Council, and 78 about Cork City Council.
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Source: The Office of the Ombudsman of Ireland
