Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Mulcahy for his contribution. The motorised transport grant for those aged 66 years and more is not a difficulty because once they have been awarded it, it continues on. The difficulty arises with the mobility allowance. The national disability survey has found that upwards of 59,000 people over the age of 65 years have either a lot of difficulty in walking for 15 minutes or could not do it at all. It is the growth in that number we are talking about.

I agree completely with what the Senator is talking about. He is quite right to say the solution to this problem needs to be local rather than national. That is why we need someone with the sole remit of dealing with this. Ms Hartigan will tell the committee about a particular project that is achieving very good results. It involves a combination of schemes, such as the rural transport scheme. The Vantastic scheme is being driven beyond the Dublin area and into other urban centres. We have to do all of that type of thing. As it is a multifaceted problem, there has to be a multifaceted solution. One size does not fit all - it never has. We have to take a fresh and different approach. As the Senator rightly said, my experience of people with disabilities means I am familiar with confined public transport schemes such as the specific rural transport scheme or the Vantastic scheme. It is about providing for a social outing as well as everything else. The need for contact with other people is hugely important, especially for people who have difficulties with socialisation anyway. I agree completely that we are going to be looking at those things. There is value in having someone whose only job is to look at how this can be achieved.