Seanad debates
Thursday, 16 May 2024
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Disability Services
9:30 am
Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for choosing this matter. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, to the Seanad this morning. The motorised transport grant was a means-tested payment for people with disabilities who needed to buy a car in order to work. As the Minister of State and Members will be aware, in 2013, the Government closed the motorised transport grant to new applicants after the Office of the Ombudsman found those schemes’ eligibility criteria were in breach of the Equal Status Acts. An alternative fair and equitable replacement scheme was promised at the time, but more than a decade later, it has not been delivered. This issue was highlighted by the Ombudsman for public services in his annual report last year, when he criticised what he called a shameful lack of adequate support for drivers with disabilities.In particular, he highlighted the failure to replace the motorised transport grant.
In response to the report, the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland rightly pointed out that the grants are not a social assistance but an economic enabler. For thousands of people with disabilities across the country, particularly those in rural areas, where there is a lack of public transport, the failure to replace this grant has had an enormous impact on their ability to gain employment. In 2024, it is intolerable and inexcusable that we are not fully supporting people with disabilities to be active and equal members of their communities. While costs should never be a barrier to the Government fully supporting those living with disability, the funding it would take to replace the motorised transport grant is minimal in terms of the Government budget, which makes it even more incomprehensible that the scheme has not been replaced.
Ireland is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which places an onus on the signatories to "provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life". The failure to replace the motorised transport grant means we are falling well short of that standard, which is unacceptable. As the Minister of State will be aware, the programme for Government contains a commitment to empower those with a disability and give them the ability to choose the supports that most meet their needs. That was a significant, important and welcome commitment, but we need action which gives life to those words and we need it immediately.
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important issue for discussion. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is leading discussions across Government to develop actions that will improve the lives of people with disabilities, including in the areas of transport and employment, to ensure they can live full lives of their own choosing. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Rabbitte, chaired meetings of the transport working group from January 2022 up to its conclusion in December 2022. The group's work has now concluded and the final report was published in February 2023. The report sets out the contributions made by members for the enhancement of transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities. A number of schemes were considered by the working group, including the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant, which the Government decided to close to new applicants in 2013 on foot of the Ombudsman's reports in 2011 and 2012 regarding the legal status of both schemes in the context of the Equal Status Acts.
The introduction of a replacement scheme is complex. It has not been possible to deliver one to date, despite work undertaken by the Department of Health prior to the transfer of responsibility for these schemes to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Since the closure of the schemes, there have been ongoing efforts to consider alternative supports that would align with the Equal Status Acts, not least at a senior officials group convened by the Taoiseach specifically to consider what whole-of-government action can be taken to improve transport supports for people with disabilities. There is agreement across this group, and the Departments represented on it, that a holistic, joined-up approach to transport supports for disabled people is vital.
These considerations will continue in the context of the development of the national disability strategy. As we have heard through our consultation process, transport, and personal mobility more broadly, is a fundamental enabler of independence for everyone. Reliable and accessible transport facilitates us to work, socialise and pursue an education. For people with disabilities, transport and personal mobility are acute concerns and their adequate provision can make all the difference in ensuring autonomy, choice and control over one’s day-to-day life, as well as one’s future.
The interconnected nature of these supports is why, in line with the UNCRPD, the Government is taking a determinedly mainstream-first approach to the delivery of the next national disability strategy. In that sense, the next strategy will see transport and mobility for disabled people addressed in a mainstream and co-ordinated fashion in a dedicated pillar. The next national disability strategy will take ambitious action to improve access to transport and mobility for disabled people, acknowledging the importance of such supports in ensuring that disabled people have access, on an equal basis with others, to the full range of opportunities in our society. It is incumbent upon all public bodies to address disability as a matter of everyday function and to understand the role we all play in bringing about genuine inclusivity for people with disabilities.
Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. Given the enormous impact this has had on thousands of people across the country, I believe we need urgent action. While the reply is welcome and I know significant work has been completed, it is essential that a replacement for the motorised transport grant is finally delivered more than a decade after such a commitment was made. I would be grateful if the Minister of State raises this with his governmental colleagues as a matter of priority. As I noted in my earlier comments, we must ensure, in 2024, that people living with disabilities are fully supported to be active and equal participants in their communities. This scheme was an essential measure in meeting that aim. It is vital that the Government takes action to replace the scheme. That is long overdue.
Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I again thank Senator Crowe for bringing this issue to the House. I appreciate his contribution in this area, which is very important to us all as representatives in constituencies and also given my own role in the context of transport. It is clear that the issue of transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities is a critical one. Addressing challenges and barriers in this regard will be a very important element to get right as we develop and implement the next national disability strategy. I know there is a lot of frustration with the fact it has taken a number of years to make progress on this issue. There is a significant body of work happening across Government to try to progress solutions around this. As I said, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is keen that we would see tangible progress in this area as part of the next disability strategy. I appreciate the Senator raising this on behalf of his constituents and the wider public.
Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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Go raibh maith agat. Gabhaim buíochas leis na hAirí Stáit, Teachtaí Chambers agus Burke, agus na Seanadóirí Crowe, O'Reilly agus Carrigy as a bheith i láthair sa Teach.