AQW 32250/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 29/09/2025
Answered On Date: 13/10/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail the engagement her Department has had with the (i) Department for the Economy; and (ii) Department for Communities, in the last three years, regarding how the unreliability of rural transport affects disabled people in accessing and sustaining employment.

Answer:

My Department supports the provision of transport services across the region via public transport services provided by Translink as well as through the Dial-a-Lift and the Disability Action Transport schemes.

The grant funded Dial-a-Lift scheme can assist people, including those with a disability access employment, but it is a member only service which operates in defined geographical areas and due to the nature of the service (demand led with limited resources available) it may not always be possible to meet everyone's needs.

There has been no specific engagement with either the Department for the Economy or the Department for Communities, regarding how the unreliability of rural transport affects disabled people in accessing and sustaining employment.