Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The committee will have received a letter from me yesterday providing additional information requested at the previous Estimates meeting. One of the requests was for a detailed note on the disabled drivers and passengers scheme, the Department's intention and policy direction and a breakdown of expenditure. The committee should have received the letter in the last day or two, which was prepared a short time ago. There has been an update which the committee may be aware of that is not addressed in the letter. I would like to put that update on record today.

To allow primary medical certificate assessments to recommence a Committee Stage amendment has been inserted into the Finance Bill to provide for the existing medical criteria in primary legislation. The committee will be aware of that as the amendment was made on Committee Stage of its consideration of the Finance Bill. When the Bill has passed Report and Final Stages and it is signed into law by the President and enacted this will allow for assessments to recommence in circumstances where the legal basis for such assessments is clarified. The issue that went to the Supreme Court was dealt with by way of an amendment on Committee Stage of the Finance Bill. When the Bill is cleared by the Houses, the primary medical assessments will be able to recommence. That information was not included in the letter received this week by the committee. I wanted to take this opportunity to update the committee on that matter.