The Department of Social Care is commissioning a study to help to establish the likely costs of implementing the Disability Discrimination Act 2006. The Act is intended to make it unlawful to discriminate against people in respect of their disabilities in relation to the provision of goods and services, education and transport. Since the Act was passed by Tynwald, planning for its implementation has been hampered by a lack of knowledge as to the likely financial impact on buildings and services provided by Government, businesses and the third sector (comprising voluntary, charitable, faith-based and other not-for-profit organisations). The planned study is intended to address this issue by commissioning a relevant expert to assess the likely implementation costs and other key factors in order to ensure a smooth introduction of the Act. Similar legislation was implemented some years ago in the UK and Ireland, hence there is knowledge and experience available that can be drawn on to assist the Department in determining the costs for the Island. This will enable the Department to prepare a plan for the implementation of the Act that both meets the needs of the disabled and also minimises any adverse impact upon affected organisations. Minister for Social Care Hon Martyn Quayle said: “The Department is committed to implementing the Disability Discrimination Act 2006 and in order to make progress we need to have a realistic estimate of the likely costs of implementation. It should be borne in mind that many Departments of Government and businesses in the private sector have already identified necessary works and have been undertaking appropriate improvements. The commissioning of this study will give an expert assessment of costs so that we can make an informed decision on the next steps we need to take.” The work is planned to take 3 months once an appropriate agency has been selected, this will allow for proper discussions with interested parties and a report will be made available to the Department no later than the end of June this year. - ENDS -