Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials. I am a relatively new member of the committee and one of the first presentations I heard was the report of the Ombudsman on these schemes. It hit the pit of my stomach and I wondered what committee I had gotten involved with. The Secretary General said that this has been seen before but two points must be made about the announcement today. It is the right thing to do and it is patently clear that we could not keep operating these schemes as they have been operated. It is also a distressing day because the implications of the business of the committee today will be felt in every corner of the country by the most vulnerable.

Whichever way one slices and dices it or speaks of the legal, moral or ethical issues, first and foremost we should consider the benefits these schemes gave to the people who most deserved them. That is critically important. I note the Secretary General's response. Everybody in this State is equal but we are not all the same. Sometimes people get completely wrapped up in equating equality with identity. We have seen evidence of this in the way female and male drivers are treated because of the European legislation we have had to enact. Is it fair that women drivers, who in the past paid lower insurance as they were considered a lesser risk, must now pay the same premiums as men? I am trying to be constructive but I think we must find ways to target the different schemes. It was correct at the time and is correct to try to provide services for those with disabilities, such as transport and mobility services for those in greatest need. The question is how to target services at those who need them most under the Equality Acts. I hope the advocacy and representative groups of the beneficiaries of the scheme will get a hearing. I would then look at the experience in other jurisdictions as we cannot be the only country in the world that has issues such as this. We are looking for solutions within tight parameters. It is obvious that this has been explored ad nauseam in the Department. We must look outside the box for a solution. Does equality legislation need to be looked? That is difficult to deal with but it goes back to the point that if everybody is entitled to a mobility allowance, some will be in desperate need of it but for others it will be a payment into their bank account. At times, the right way to proceed is different from the legally correct way to proceed.

I reiterate my call to the Minister to consult the advocacy and representative groups in this regard. The sooner discussions take place with them the better.