A code of practice governing the allocation of discount event tickets to helpers of people with disabilities must be formulated, according to disability groups following a row over disabled concession tickets for Madonna's Slane concert.
Mr Justin Green of promoters MCD stated that nine tickets were offered to Meath Accessible Transport for personal assistants attending the concert. Due to an e-mail mix-up on the part of the transport group they were not aware of the offer, he stated last night.
The tickets were still available for the group and this was just one of a number of disability groups which were given free tickets, he added.
Earlier Ms Miriam McKenna, manager Meath Accessible Transport, rejected claims by MCD that the group, which was hoping to bring 24 young people to the concert, had been offered free tickets.
Ms McKenna said the young people could not afford to pay for two tickets and were resigned to the fact that they were not going to see Madonna at Slane.
Both the Irish Wheelchair Association and People with Disabilities Ireland (PwDI) have expressed a wish to sit down with MCD to formulate a code of practice.
Mr Michael Ringrose, chief executive officer of PwDI, said "reasonable accommodation" must be shown by all concert promoters to people with disabilities who need personal assistants in order to attend concerts and other events. Many people with disabilities would simply be not be able to attend concerts or other events without the support of a personal assistant, he said.
"We are not necessarily seeking free tickets. However, having said that, there are many fine examples, such as the GAA and FAI, both of which offer full complimentary tickets to people with disabilities in respect of their personal assistants."
Mr Olan McGowan of the Irish Wheelchair Association said there was no such thing as an industry-wide standard. Other sectors of the events industry, however, such as sporting organisations and cinemas, which have much smaller attendances, regularly give half-price or free tickets to personal assistants.
"We are literally talking about people who are dependent on their personal assistant to go about the most mundane tasks, such as putting up an umbrella or putting on a coat in the rain."