Implementation Plan Template Introduction The purpose of this document is to provide staff in local authorities with guidance to assist in the preparation of an implementation plan, required of each local authority under the Sectoral Plan published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and approved by the Oireachtas in November 2006. The deadline for completion of implementation plans is July 2007. An implementation plan should be developed in accordance with the Sectoral Plan (see below) and the LGMSB Guidelines “Implementation of Disability Act 2005 – Guidance Framework”1. In relation to the latter care should be taken to include the following issues in the implementation plan; Goods and Services Information Training Procurement Inter-agency cooperation Disruptions and Emergencies (provision for people with disabilities) Monitoring and evaluation
The emphasis hereunder is substantially on the built environment which is currently the focus of much activity across the local government sector. On some issues action may be summarised briefly in local authority‟s implementation plans and may refer to further future work. It is recognised that each local authority works within its own particular circumstances, and that many local authorities have developed considerable expertise and experience in dealing with issues related to disability. The targets and timeframes for action set by individual authorities in their respective implementation plans will reflect previous levels of action. As such this template is offered as a suggested framework. Authorities are free to depart from this template, however, there should be a certain degree of consistency of content in all implementation plans. For example, all implementation plans should address issues such as consultation and prioritisation methodologies, and all implementation plans should feature a detailed set of actions similar to the action matrix in Appendix A. Sectoral Plan Requirements The purpose of the implementation planning process is to promote and proactively encourage equal opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in the economic, social and cultural life of the community. The local government sector is collectively responsible for annual expenditure in excess of 5% of GDP and the delivery by the sector of a better service to people with disabilities is of particular importance.
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Available online on the local authority accessibility website - http://www.laaccessibility.ie/publications.html#LGMSBGuide .
The sectoral plan requirements in relation to Implementation planning are: Each local authority will, within three months of completing the accessibility audit, draw up an implementation plan setting out a programme (including dates) to implement the commitments and objectives contained in the Disability Act 2005 and in the sectoral plan. The implementation plan will be published by each local authority – including making it available on its website. A copy of the implementation plan will be sent to the Department. (Paragraph 4.3.1 of the Sectoral Plan) In drawing up their implementation plans, local authorities will have regard to the funding and staffing resources available to them for implementation. Priority will be given to local authority buildings and other facilities to which access is most frequently required as well as accessible public footpaths streets and crossings in urban areas. The plans will set out targets and timeframes for carrying out these works to reflect local priorities. (4.3.2) Local authorities will consult with organisations representing persons with disabilities when carrying out their accessibility audits and when drawing up their implementation plans. (4.5.1) In carrying out accessibility audits and developing implementation plans, local authorities will review the need for new or improved footpaths, traffic light crossings, wheelchair accessible bus stops and car parking for disabled users in the towns and villages throughout their areas. Local authorities will, in consultation with the relevant transport authorities, including private bus operators and taxi/hackney organisations, and as far as practicable having regard to the available funding, provide for the raising of footpaths to the appropriate level for wheelchair accessible buses by providing Kassell kerbing, where suitable; improve local road conditions where they may be an impediment to the use of low floor buses; and upgrade streetscapes in pedestrian zones by dispensing with footpaths. Local authorities will prioritise the upgrading of bus stops on roads where wheelchair accessible buses are in service or are being phased in, in line with the Department of Transport’s sectoral plan. The Department will engage with the Department of Transport and the City and County Managers Association (CCMA) with a view to arranging any further co-ordination needed for a better interface between public roads and passenger transport services. (4.19.2) In drawing up their implementation plans, local authorities will prepare detailed costings of the various actions required to meet their objectives. Implementation of all of the actions in the Disability Act 2005 and in this sectoral plan will take account of the level of resources available. (6.1.3)
Each local authority will involve people with disabilities in relation to the monitoring and review of its implementation plan, either through adjustment of existing representative structures or the establishment of new locally devised participation structures for this purpose. Local authorities will review and update their implementation plans and monitoring arrangements as necessary every three years, having regard to progress achieved, current priorities and resources and the balance of works to be completed up to 2015. (6.2.3) Each local authority will prepare a yearly progress report on its performance in relation to delivery of actions, targets and timeframes set out in its Implementation Plan and include it in its draft Annual Report for adoption by Council’s elected members. (6.2.5) Roles and functions under the Disability Act 2005 and Implementation Plan to be assigned to specified teams, groups and staff in each city and county area by end 2006. (Appendix 3) Clearly, each local authority‟s implementation plan will be a significant document. The core of each plan will be a set of prioritised, costed deliverables to deliver on the totality of the commitments contained in the Disability Act 2005 and the sectoral plan. Implementation plans will be developed in consultation with people with disabilities and with other agencies, such as transport operators, and will be published. Local authorities will put in place structures to monitor and review the progress of their implementation plans and yearly progress reports will be prepared. These progress reports will feed into the national monitoring regime. Stakeholders The primary drivers of an implementation plan will be that local authority‟s management, working in consultation with elected members; Implementation plans should be written with this in mind. Other important stakeholders include people with disabilities and their representative groups, the statutory agencies which that local authority will be working closely with in delivering its plan, and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. County/City Development Boards will also be important stakeholders. Embedding the Implementation Plan It is appropriate that delivery of the implementation plan should be a corporate commitment for local authorities. It is an important element for success that delivery is regarded as an organisation-wide obligation, and is not confined to the remit of a single person or section. Democratic oversight of the delivery, monitoring and review of each local authority‟s implementation plan is of particular importance. Senior management can signal the organisation-wide commitment to their staff through several inter-connected responses: Policy Responsibility – Authorities may assign policy oversight and responsibility for disability issues to a designated Strategic Policy Committee (SPC). This SPC should receive and co-ordinate regular periodic reports as to how disability issues and accessibility are being
addressed and advanced, and may also work with other relevant SPCs and the Corporate Policy Group (CPG). The CPG may bring coordinated policy considerations, and periodic reports, to Council, thereby engaging the full mandate of Council in support of the implementation plan. - Corporate Planning - Local authorities should avail of the opportunities arising from the review of their Corporate Plans to appropriately reflect the implementation plan. This provides the basis and authority for all subsequent prioritisation, budgetary and resource allocation by the organisation. Progress in relation to the implementation plan may also be included as a standing item on the agenda for Management Team or other appropriate forum. - PMDS & Business Planning - It may be beneficial to give clarity and assistance to staff through the PMDS process, flowing from the priorities of the Corporate Plan. Departmental Business Plans, Team Development Plans and Personal Development Plans should reflect, where appropriate, clear targets and commitments under the sectoral and implementation plans. This creates the necessary mandate for staff and reinforces accessibility issues as „core function‟ rather than a „desirable option‟ at all levels. These elements may be reflected in periodic reports to the Performance Verification Group. - Service Indicators - The current service indicator initiative is intended to measure the performance of local authorities against a standard set of indicators and record emerging trends in service over time. A national indicator relevant to disability will be in place from 2008 2, however the system encourages the development of local service indicators to reflect local priorities; individual authorities may wish to develop a local indicator(s) in relation to the delivery of their implementation plans. Operational responsibility – In order to address the multi-faceted nature of issues arising from the Accessibility Audits, it will be necessary to have an appropriately multi-disciplinary response. The aim is to achieve a coherent response across departments and sections, and between senior management and operational teams. This may be best achieved by assigning oversight responsibilities to an internal steering group, made up of appropriately senior staff members from departments or sections that have assigned targets and actions under the implementation plan. These responsibilities should be matched with access to appropriate levels of resources, authority for action, and responsibilities for performance. The steering group should also include the authority‟s access officer and should report on a regular basis to the senior management team. The Guidance Framework of Good Practice in Developing an Implementation Plan in Local Authorities, issued in June 2006, addresses the issue of operational responsibility and internal structures in additional detail.
Template Structure of an Implementation Plan
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In relation to the Disabled Persons‟ Grant.
As stated in the introduction to this document, the following template is offered as a suggested structure.
Part I Introduction Approach Access Auditing Consultation Prioritisation Methodology Part II Action Matrix
Part I Part I of the implementation plan should describe the legislative and policy background, the local authority‟s approach to date, the outcome of access audits, the channels and results of consultation, and the system used to prioritise works. Part II is the core of the implementation plan, setting out a prioritised, costed set of actions which address that local authority‟s response to the totality of the requirements of the Disability Act 2005 and the sectoral plan. The following paragraphs discuss each element of Part I of the template. Introduction The introduction should briefly explain the purpose of the implementation plan, and the national and local policy and legal context. References may be made to the National Disability Strategy, the Disability Act 2005 and the sectoral plan. Local authorities should also take the opportunity to demonstrate prior action in relation to disability issues, for example, activity to implement the Barcelona Declaration and Equal Opportunities legislation. Approach This section should be a high-level description of the local authority‟s internal management approach to disability issues, including details of the internal arrangements to lead and coordinate delivery, other key actors, the role of elected members, linkages with the Corporate Planning and Annual Operational Planning cycles, and the methods by which mainstreaming services for people with disabilities, from inception to completion, is being progressed. Access Auditing This section of the implementation plan will give treatment to the key issues and themes emerging from that local authority‟s experience of the access auditing process, which will have been substantially completed by end-April
2007 (see Para 4.2 of the Sectoral Plan). Each local authority will have faced its own distinct challenges in conducting its audits, which may be highlighted. The audit process should have helped to raise awareness of disability access issues among all staff, and to the public. Significant long-term benefits will have accrued from the Access Audit process. Local authorities should be aiming to acquire an in-house accessibility awareness and auditing capacity in order to meet their obligations to disability proof new facilities, services and documentation in the future. These benefits should be outlined, as should plans to meet the need to sustain a core of expertise within the local authority. Consultation This section should provide a summary of the consultation process engaged in by the local authority with individuals, statutory agencies and representative groups, in developing its implementation plan. The principal outcomes of consultation should also be addressed. Coherent outcomes will require a considerable effort and commitment to consultation with all stakeholders. Networks of people with disabilities, and their representative groups provide ready feedback on those accessibility issues which should receive early priority, and can help identify the critical points that cause the most severe constraint on accessibility. Such networks can also assist in identifying practical solutions. As service users they will provide immediate feedback on the success or otherwise of various actions undertaken. It may also be the case that consultation has led to the emergence of competing priorities between different consulted parties, and, if so, they should be highlighted. Many local authorities have standing consultation fora in place, and those that do not should strongly consider putting such a forum in place to help capture the views of people with disabilities, to build relationships and to aid communication. Coherence between various state agencies and service providers is equally important for evaluating those issues that should receive priority. While the aim within the built environment, for example, is to provide a continuous route, or chain of accessibility, other public bodies or agencies, working to different demands and constraints, may raise significant challenges or difficulties of coordinating timescales and milestones. Such linkage is essential to ensure that resources are committed to sets of priority actions that will provide early, effective and complete outcomes. As such, local authorities should describe the efforts made to link with other statutory agencies to provide integrated access, and should identify ongoing methods and channels of collaboration. The role of the County/City Development Board (CDB) should also be addressed, particularly as all CDBs have been asked to adopt disability as a key theme and to actively engage in promoting co-ordination between the relevant service providers in their area with regard to services for persons with a disability. CDBs have also been requested to put suitable arrangements in place, to enable representatives of people with disabilities to inform CDBs in their area of their requirements.
Coherence within local authorities is similarly important. Implementation plans should be developed and agreed across the relevant organisational divisions and the implementation plan may address how this was handled. To help foster collaboration between local authorities and transport operators, the Department of Transport has provided background material in relation to its sectoral plan and has also provided a list of the relevant personnel to contact within the major transport operators, to act as an initial point of contact. See Appendix C. Authorities should seek to consult with all significant transport operators, public and private, offering services within their areas. Authorities should especially ensure that they are aware of the plans of transport operators to procure accessible vehicles, as the operation of these vehicles may require streetscape modifications and it is important that there are early discussions in relation to same. Prioritisation Methodology In relation to prioritisation, the sectoral plan states that “priority will be given to local authority buildings and other facilities to which access is most frequently required as well as accessible public footpaths streets and crossings in urban areas. The plans will set out targets and timeframes for carrying out these works to reflect local priorities.” (4.3.2) It also states that “local authorities will prioritise the upgrading of bus stops on roads where wheelchair accessible buses are in service or are being phased in, in line with the Department of Transport’s sectoral plan.” (4.19.2) This section should describe the method used by the local authority to prioritise works in its implementation plan. Example principles could include the level of usage (e.g. of a town centre streetscape), the views of representative groups, the fit, or coherence, with other agencies (e.g. the accessibility improvement of a streetscape to coincide with the introduction of an accessible bus), the local authority‟s budgetary position and other local circumstances. Consultation is clearly a major contributor to the prioritisation process. For example, the local authority may wish to modify and alter the streetscape from a major retail centre to a major transport centre. However, different timescales and programming may result in the local transport hub, or indeed the local transport service, not being accessible for some time, which may impact on the local authority‟s prioritisation of the work. Should such circumstances exist, the local authority‟s planned response should be explained. For example, it may be best, in such circumstances, to co-ordinate actions with the relevant transport operator to achieve a coherent outcome, and to keep all stakeholders informed. When deciding on a methodology for prioritisation, local authorities are urged to consider the importance of the interface between streetscapes and transport infrastructure, especially given the reliance of many people with disabilities on public transport. For example, the accessibility of streetscapes in the vicinity of bus stops, taxi ranks etc. has been raised on several occasions as an issue of particular importance.
Prioritisation principles should also be compliant with the legislative requirements of the Disability Act 2005 and target dates set out in sectoral plans. Appendix B sets out a table containing key transport related actions and dates relevant to local authorities in the sectoral plans of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, and of the Department of Transport. Part II Part II should consist of a matrix of actions to implement the totality of the requirements of the Disability Act 2005 and the sectoral plan. The matrix should briefly describe each action, which should be broken down into its components parts where appropriate. For example, the modification of a streetscape might involve several sub-tasks; installing tactile paving, disabled car parking spaces and audible crossing signals, and each significant subtask should be listed. Start and completion dates, estimated costs, and a lead senior staff member and section should be identified for each action. The matrix should include those key stakeholders, both internal and external, that are involved in co-ordinated activity, and with whom linkage is required for best outcome. Actions should be set out in order of priority. Information concerning progress to date should also be entered. The matrix should be drafted with the intention that it be a dynamic document, updated and reviewed periodically, and referred to in Annual Reports and other internal reporting arrangements. Reporting progress by relating it to the totality of work to be done is important (e.g. 2 out of 10 tactile crossings installed – see the example action at Appendix A). The matrix should be updated accordingly as works progress so it is very much a moving document. Should the scale, scope or target date of the work be amended in the future, details could be entered with a brief explanation. For example, if a subsequent site survey indicates that a planned action is inappropriate, this information could be entered. The sectoral plan states that “in drawing up their implementation plans, local authorities will have regard to the funding and staffing resources available to them for implementation.” (4.3.2) Local authorities have access to national resources to help undertake disability related projects. However, the bulk of costs will be met from authorities‟ own resources. The mainstreaming of existing services and disability proofing of new services and facilities will impact across programme areas and it is anticipated that the majority of projects will be funded from the relevant programme areas. As such, authorities should be realistic in relation to the projects which can be undertaken in any given phase, while mindful of their legal obligations under the Disability Act 2005 and the requirements of the sectoral plan. Local authorities should provide most detail in relation to actions planned for the initial three-year phase of the implementation plan, as plans and monitoring arrangements will be reviewed and updated, as necessary, every three years. Subsequent phases of actions, planned from 2011 to the deadline of 2015 (in relation to the accessibility of public buildings) will receive
more detailed treatment in later iterations of the plan, but it is important that the initial three-year phase is the focus and that there is not a disproportionate and unrealistic set of actions relating to subsequent phases. Initial budgetary estimates submitted for the various actions should be updated periodically, index linked to a 2007 baseline. A template action matrix is set out in Appendix A.
Appendix A – Typical Template Action Matrix
Priority
Action & SubTasks
Timeframe
Budgetary Estimate
Lead Department
Linkage with
Detail of progress to date / amendments to action.
Next Steps
Start Date 1. Modification of streetscape, leading from Newbridge town centre to train station. Works: -Site survey Tactile paving at 10 crossings on Plunkett St. and South St. -Audio crossing signals at 2 junctions on O‟Connell St. and Patrick St. etc. Start: Q3 2007
Completion Date Completion: Q2 2008 €370k Director of Service Roads & Transportation Directorate Newbridge Town Council. Planning Section. Road Design section and Area Engineer Iarnrod Eireann, to link with plans to have train station facilities accessibility works completed by Q3 2009 and train services accessibility Q2 2008. €35k Site survey complete. 2, of 10, tactile crossings installed on Plunkett St. 3 tactile crossings on Plunkett St. Etc.
2.
Arising from audit of Council‟s website and consultation,
Start: Q4 2007
Completion: Q1 2008
Director of Service with responsibility for IT projects.
IT Consultancy Firm. Director of Service
Project requirements agreed internally. Tender prepared.
Advertise tender, evaluate bids and initiate project.
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project to improve accessibility of online planning application monitoring tool.
with responsibility for Planning.
3.
Develop a new Procurement Policy incorporating requirements of the Disability Act 2005 to ensure procured goods and services are accessible.
Start: Q1 2008
Completion: Q2 2008
Nil
Director of Service Corporate Affairs
Council employees who are people with disabilities.
Nil.
Form Working Group from relevant sections and agree Workplan.
4. 5. 6. 7.
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Appendix B –Key transport related target dates in the Sectoral Plans of Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Transport
Actions Access audits by local authorities Implementation reports by local authorities Accessible public buildings Disability Act 2005 Department of the Environment, Heritage and Lccal Government End April 2007 End July 2007 Department of Transport
Accessible heritage sites Accessible information and services in all public bodies Joined-up proposals between local authorities, local transport operators, to improve accessibility of public roads, footpaths, streets and crossing leading to ground, air and sea transport crossings, and accessible routes to and from public transport Accessible buses in Dublin Accessible Bus Eireann buses
Public buildings shall be brought into compliance with part M of the Building Regulations not later than 31 December 2015. If Part M is amended, public buildings shall be brought into compliance not later than 10 years after commencement of the 3 amendment. Dec 2007 Dec 2005
End 2007
Coordination arrangement to be developed over 2006-7, with priority given to upgrading bus stops on public roads where wheelchair accessible buses are in service or are being phased in over 2006 to 2011 as outlined in the Department of Transport‟s Sectoral Plan By 2012 Bus Eireann will continue to purchase accessible buses
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Part 3 of the Disability Act 2005 contains provision on Access to Buildings and Services and Sectoral Plans.
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Accessible buses in other urban areas served with smaller buses (currently not wheelchair accessible) Accessible licensed scheduled bus services run by private operators in main urban areas
Completed by 2012
By 2012.
Accessible bus stops
The entire scheduled service coach fleet in Ireland will have been replaced by wheelchair accessible coaches in 2015 -Being upgraded systematically (involves local authorities, the National Roads Authority, the Department of Transport and the Garda Siochana). - Double the length of the QBC network in the Greater Dublin area by end 2009
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Accessible bus stations
-All Bus Eireann stations (except for Limerick and Galway) by end 2007. -Major joint bus/rail station in Limerick by 2008 Fine system in place since 3 April 2006 All DART carriages are accessible. The diesel railcars on suburban rail serving Dublin and Cork are accessible Accessible rolling stock by 2009 Refurbishment programme in place on a railway line by railway line basis. Programme completed by 2015. Each port authority to undertake access audit of passenger facilities at its port by end April, Implementation report end July 2007
Ensure that access to bus stops and disabled parking bays is not obstructed by illegal parking Accessible suburban trains
Accessible inter-city trains Accessible railway stations
Accessible ports
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Appendix C - Department of Transport Sectoral Plan and Contacts List (Supplied by the Department of Transport) The Department of Transport is committed to the comprehensive development of accessible public transport services in the shortest possible time having regard to resource, technical and other constraints. The Department‟s position is that public transport accessibility issues go beyond the needs of people with disabilities and involve the accessibility needs of all people, including people with physical, sensory, learning and cognitive difficulties and others whose access to traditional public transport vehicles is constrained because of age, accompanying children, carrying luggage etc. In essence, through accessibility improvements to the public transport system for people with disabilities, access for all people will be improved. This position accords with the „Transport for All‟ concept which is generally accepted within the EU and the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT). ‘Transport Access for All’, the Department‟s Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act 2005 addresses the accessibility needs of people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments across all transport modes and contains time bound targets for the progressive realisation of accessible transport in Ireland. It was prepared following an extensive consultation exercise involving meetings and discussions with transport providers together with a wide range of groups in the disability sector. The Plan is available in various formats from the Department‟s website www.transport.ie under Public Transport and Publications. Measures to implement „Transport Access for All‟ are already well advanced. Since the year 2000, all major refurbishment projects at bus and rail stations, together with the construction of new stations and the purchase of trains or buses take account of the needs of people with mobility and sensory impairments. Work in this area is now being extended to taxis as well as air and marine passenger transport. The Plan recognises that an accessible, barrier-free pedestrian environment is fundamentally important to people with mobility, sensory and cognitive impairments. Unless people can move about on the streets and pavements in safety and with confidence, they will not be able to make full use of accessible transport services. Collaboration and partnership between those with responsibility for public transport and those responsible for the pedestrian environment and for traffic management is, therefore, a key element of the provision of transport that is accessible for all. A transport operator contact list is attached which should prove useful to local authorities in developing an integrated approach at local level to the provision of accessibility improvements. The ‘Traffic Management Guidelines’, prepared jointly by the Departments of Transport, the then Department of the Environment and Local Government and the Dublin Transportation Office, incorporate guidance on the provision of suitably designed facilities for public transport users, including bus stop design and the design of crossing facilities for people with mobility, sensory and
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cognitive impairments. Local authorities may find these guidelines useful in developing their accessibility improvement action plans under the Sectoral Plan of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and local Government. In addition, the ECMT have published a Good Practice Guide titled ‘Improving Transport Accessibility for All’ which would also provide useful guidance for local authorities. This Guide includes a section on the Road and Pedestrian Environment as well as a section on Infrastructure. Copies of the Guide can be acquired directly from the ECMT via its website www.cemt.org .
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Contact Details for Public Transport Operators
Company Bus Átha Cliath (Greater Dublin) Representative Tim Fitzgibbon Accessibility Officer Address 59 Upper O'Connell Street Dublin, 1 Ireland Bus Éireann Capwell Cork Bus Éireann Roxboro Road Limerick Bus Éireann Ceannt Station Eyre Square Galway Bus Éireann Bus Depot Sligo Bus Éireann Broadstone Dublin 7 Iarnród Éireann Pearse Station Dublin 2 Iarnród Éireann Heuston Station Dublin 8 Iarnród Éireann Connolly Station Dublin 1 Coach Tourism & Transport Council of Ireland Drumconrath Road, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Ireland RPA House Parkgate Business Centre Parkgate Street Dublin, 8 Ireland Pobal Holbrooke House Holles Street Dublin 2 Telephone (01) 7033204
Bus Éireann (South) Bus Éireann (Southwest) Bus Éireann (West)
Joe Fitzgerald Regional Manager Miriam Flynn Regional Manager Brian Connolly Regional Manager
(021) 4557101
(061) 418855
(091) 563555
Bus Éireann (Northwest) Bus Éireann (East) Iarnród Éireann (DART) Iarnród Éireann (Southern & Western) Iarnród Éireann (Northern & Eastern) Private Bus & Coach Operators
Rory Leahy Regional Manager Joe Kenny Regional Manager Tom Devoy General Manager Stephen Murphy General Manager Cal Carmichael General Manager Cora Collins
(071) 9160440
(01) 8302222
(01) 7033500
(01) 7032729
(01) 7032524
(042) 9661631
Railway Procurement Agency (Luas and Metro)
Loreto Browne Accessibility Officer
(086) 8304889
Pobal (Rural Transport Programme)
Marian Byrne Erin Cotter Michelle Bishop
(01) 2400700 www.pobal.ie
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