Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms O'Reilly. Before I open the floor to members, I wish to inform her that the committee will be completing its report on the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant schemes fairly soon. When she submitted her report on this matter, we wrote to the Department of Health seeking an explanation. We then brought the Minister for Health, one of his Ministers of State and the Secretary General of his Department before us in order that they might explain what they intended to do about Ms O'Reilly's recommendations. As she is aware and as she informed the committee just now, they announced, after our meeting with them, the cessation of the schemes. We then demanded that they come back before us and we brought in the Secretary General. That meeting was quite emotional because representatives from the Centre for Independent Living and the Disability Federation of Ireland also took part and indicated their deep alarm at the implications of what is involved. Our focus was to ensure those groups would be at the heart of any revised scheme and that they would be fully consulted. We ensured they would be part of the process. The committee is extremely concerned with regard to the implications of what is involved.

We brought the Secretary General of the Department back before us again to deal with the legacy issues the Ombudsman raised in the context of why lessons were not learned from previous occurrences which cost the taxpayer considerable sums of money. We were also concerned with regard to the application of the law, which is a key issue when any scheme is being devised. We have had a considerable and lengthy engagement with the Department on this matter and we intend to complete our report fairly soon. We will, of course, submit the report to the Ombudsman's office. However, it is important at this public forum to provide her with a clear indication that we intend to respond to and work vigorously in respect of any reports of this nature that are submitted by her office.