Access to Public Buildings

Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005 is related to access to public buildings. It requires public bodies to ensure that the areas the public has access to are accessible to people with disabilities.

One exception to this requirement is heritage sites. Access to heritage sites is addressed by Section 29 of the Disability Act.

Find out more about access to heritage sites

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The Code of Practice on Accessible Public Buildings

The Minister has requested the National Disability Authority to prepare a draft Code of Practice on the accessibility of public buildings to people with disabilities.

This will help support public bodies in addressing their duty under Section 25 of the Disability Act. This work is currently underway.

Operational Review of the Effectiveness of Section 25 of the Disability Act 2025

Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005 deals with access to public buildings. It says that a public body shall ensure that its public buildings are accessible to people with disabilities where possible.

An operational review was carried out under Action 26 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 by the National Disability Authority and the Office of Public Works (OPW).

The review was informed by a consultation process that took place between September and December 2018. A number of insights emerged from this consultation process, as well as recommendations to facilitate public bodies to meet their obligations to bring their public buildings into compliance with Part M 2010 by 2022, as required under Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005.

An Operational Review of the Effectiveness of Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005