Mr. Mark O'Connor:

I am from County Louth and am quite familiar with Drumcar and the geography there.

A parent such as the one the Deputy described who must get their child from Drogheda to Drumcar would be lucky to be able to reclaim the money straight after the scheme. As my colleague, Ms Dempsey, has indicated, the transport grant is often not made available until the end of September or October.

On wider socioeconomic issues, we know that when a household member has a disability, there is a greater likelihood of that household experiencing or being at risk of poverty. They do not have €1,400 just sitting in a drawer to pay out on taxis and then reclaim several months later.