Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Just to follow up, Mr. O'Brien mentioned the emergency needs payment. I was just so struck by that woman who clearly needs support with transport as she could not even fund transport to her appeal. The emergency needs payment is one mechanism. Dr. Lajoie also mentioned the idea of interest-free loans. Will she expand a little on that as an idea? There is that concern Deputy Doherty raised that it is almost a wealth transfer. Those who are most in need do not have the capital to access schemes and adaptation supports. Within that, I am thinking of vehicle adaptation but also housing adaptation.

There are two other issues that have come up a lot and I wonder if MABS is finding them as a pattern in its work. One is the idea around appropriate, adapted electric vehicles and recognising disability needs within those schemes, or even retrofitting and building adaptation needs into retrofitting schemes. Are enough of these new green schemes that are coming on stream being designed in a way that is going to support people with a disability to avail of, and fully engage with, them rather than us having to go back and almost retrofit those schemes, so they work for people with a disability in the future? Is that something MABS has found to be an issue? Does that fit in with the interest-free loan issue as well?