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

Another issue is the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant. Both of those schemes were suspended because the Ombudsman found them to act outside the law with regard to equality legislation because they were not available to elderly people. When the Department considered the matter, the estimate to deal with it came to approximately €500 million and that would not be economically sustainable. The issue has dragged on for quite a while. I have a particular interest as the committee which I chair, dealing with public oversight, works with the Ombudsman. We have brought in a previous Secretary General of the Department of Health on a number of occasions, as well as Ministers. Will Ms Guinan seek to take an active interest in the matter, as it seems these are lost schemes for those who wish to avail of them?.