Leinster House: Lift Incident & Accessibility Review
- A disability awareness training group found themselves "trapped" and "embarrassed" at Leinster House last year after a lift malfunctioned.
- During their visit, members of the HSE Gold Star Disability Awareness Training program and volunteers from Tipperary, invited by a member of the oireachtas, encountered numerous obstacles.These included...
- The group informed Oireachtas leadership that members were stuck in a corridor, feeling "very embarrassed" as others squeezed past.
A disability training group was left stranded at Leinster House due to a broken lift, exposing serious accessibility failures, the primary_keyword concern of the parliamentary complex. This shocking incident, coupled with issues like inaccessible restrooms and denied bus access, prompted an apology from the Oireachtas, along with promises to improve accessibility and an accessibility review. The HSE Gold Star Disability awareness Training program, invited to provide training, found themselves facing barriers at every turn, highlighting the critical need for upgrades, and also pointing out a secondary_keyword concern for those with disabilities. News Directory 3 reports on the slow progress of lift replacements and other improvements managed by the Office of Public Works.What steps will ensure full compliance,and what are the long-term implications? Discover what’s next.
Accessibility Issues at Leinster House Leave Disability Training Group Stranded
Updated June 8, 2025
A disability awareness training group found themselves “trapped” and “embarrassed” at Leinster House last year after a lift malfunctioned. The organization, invited to provide accessibility training, expressed astonishment at the parliamentary complex’s lack of accessibility.
During their visit, members of the HSE Gold Star Disability Awareness Training program and volunteers from Tipperary, invited by a member of the oireachtas, encountered numerous obstacles.These included inaccessible toilets, buses denied access for drop-offs, and the broken lift that stranded five members.
The group informed Oireachtas leadership that members were stuck in a corridor, feeling “very embarrassed” as others squeezed past. The training room itself presented “a number of disability access levels” of challenges, according to their email.
The email detailed the frustration: “From the moment of our arrival, we encountered barriers and exclusion.” The lift breakdown exacerbated the situation, leaving some members stranded upstairs while others found the second lift “temporarily out of order.”
The group’s message conveyed their disappointment: “Every person there was tired,embarrassed,disappointed,hungry and let down once more in terms of their rights to worldwide access and the dignity of using a toilet privately.” They requested a meeting with oireachtas management to address these issues of disability access.
Clerk of the Dáil peter Finnegan issued a formal apology.”We fell well short of the standards that people are entitled to expect when they visit their National Parliament,” Finnegan said.
Following the incident, a representative from the group advised Leinster House on improving accessibility. However, progress on lift replacements and upgrades, managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW), has been slow.
In response to follow-up inquiries, the Oireachtas announced the start of a public procurement process for a new lift and plans for an additional accessible toilet. some previously marked “accessible” toilets were removed from signage, and staff training was scheduled.
Despite these assurances,the group expressed concern about being “forgotten.” By April, they sought confirmation of changes and the possibility of a return visit.
Finnegan reported the completion of the new accessible toilet and the imminent appointment of a job coach and disability liaison officer. The lift project, however, presented more complex challenges.
“The advice provided by the OPW is that the project to install a new platform lift for the Member’s restaurant will be more complex than just simply replacing the existing lift,” Finnegan explained. He added that the solution requires changes to access, egress, and internal office and security post layouts.
While progress has been made, Finnegan acknowledged they were “not as far advanced” as hoped, particularly regarding the new elevator.
What’s next
The Oireachtas continues to work with the Office of Public Works to address the accessibility issues at Leinster House, with a focus on the complex project of installing a new lift and improving overall access for people with disabilities. Further updates are expected as the procurement process moves forward and construction begins.