Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with my colleague, Deputy Harrington, that it seems ironic that we had a scheme which, by all accounts, was working well and supporting those who needed financial assistance to improve their mobility but which was snookered because of the Equal Status Act. That legislation, of course, was introduced for a very good reason. However, in some instances, equality is a hard thing to measure.

I also note that it is not at all unusual to have to impose cut-off points for schemes when there are budgets to be met. Sometimes the cut-off point refers to age. I know, for instance, that the special housing aid for the elderly scheme, administered by local authorities, is only available to those over 60 years of age. We also know that there are other age limits and restrictions applied when we try to cut our cloth to measure. In the context of such age limits being applied and justifications being given for them, is the Department looking at ways that a justification can be given for the current limit or is it saying that such a limit cannot be envisaged at all under the current scheme? I say this in the context of the fact that, for example, social welfare payments change as people age. Is the Department looking at the possibility of putting this on a statutory basis in order to give effect to the general gist of what we want to achieve here?

This is obviously a very difficult situation. I welcome the fact that the €10.6 million has been ring-fenced, set aside and will continue to be there to be provide assistance to people who have mobility problems. However, the fact that the issue has been kicked around as a political football is making people fearful. They are hearing soundbites to the effect that people with disabilities and mobility issues are being attacked, which is outrageous. It is scaremongering and making people very fearful. I understand, from the Department's previous attendance at this committee and from the plans going forward, that there will be a serious effort made to address this situation and also to get this money spent on mobility assistance and not on anything else. The people who are affected by this need to be assured of that and of the bona fides of the Department and the Minister for Health in their attempts to address this situation.

It should also be said that some of those to the fore in kicking the political football around were involved in supporting a previous Government which, when the country was awash with money, did not see fit to sort out a problem such as this one. It is highly reprehensible behaviour. I do not think in any system of adversarial politics or any democracy that supports true opposition, that this should be the case. There are many issues that can be argued and that need to be teased out by those in opposition but pumping out untruths and provoking fear in people that they will be sacrificed, when that is not the intention at all and will not be the case, is reprehensible. I condemn that sort of thing and have nothing more to say on the matter.