Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I welcome our guests. Their presentations have been extremely helpful and beneficial. This session originated when Dr. Kennedy sent an email to all elected representatives on the proposal for a number of unmanned DART stations. Senator John Dolan also contacted the Chairman on this. We felt that we should work cross-party as a committee to listen to concerns and bring forward recommendations to the Minister on what can be done immediately, in the short term and in the longer term to ensure that there is equal access for people of varying abilities and disabilities. It is very positive to have had the presentations today. To be fair, each group represented has presented us with very practical suggestions we can adopt when we meet in our next session with companies' representatives and, ultimately, feed into the proposals we make to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. As such, I thank our guests for attending.

This week is a very significant one from the point of view of the recognition of Irish Sign Language. I compliment the Irish Deaf Society for the work it has done and, in particular Senator Mark Daly, who pioneered and pushed the legislation in this regard. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Council of Europe. At that level, there are ongoing efforts to ensure that sign language is recognised across the European Union. I was happy to speak in favour of that. It was nice to be in a position to say that Ireland is one of the countries which is leading the way in this regard. It is an area in which we are doing something positive.

A particular issue highlighted by a number of witnesses involved cuts to the mobility allowance and motorised transport scheme in 2013. There was a promise at the time that it was only a matter of suspending the schemes for new applications for a period of months while a new scheme or schemes were formulated. Have the witnesses had any contact with the Department to feed into a new scheme or has the Department given any indication in this regard? To be fair, it is a matter which is raised on an almost weekly basis on the Order of Business and with the Minister in the Dáil but we get the same bland response that a new scheme is nearing completion and will be launched imminently. It has been "imminent" for three years but it has still not been published. I wonder about that.

Another matter I raised last week in the Dáil was the Revenue exemption for people with disabilities when buying a car.

The application of that scheme seems to have become extremely strict. I have two constituents in my community. One is paralysed the whole way down on one side and was told he was not sufficiently disabled to qualify for the scheme. The other person is a young man with very bad multiple sclerosis. Through sheer willpower, he is staying out of a wheelchair. He is literally dragging himself along because he knows that once he goes into one, there is no going back. However, the arm of the State is stating it cannot support him because he is not sufficiently disabled. Do the delegates have any information on that matter?

The delegates have given a good overview and some good proposals. It gives members an opportunity to work with everyone concerned and feed the outcome into their ultimate proposals for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. I thank the delegates for their time.