Dr. Nicky Scaramuzzi:

We are especially looking at what is available within Europe. Nothing like this is available anywhere else. We are getting some ideas to use a bit of creativity. Part of it is that we have to let go of the notion that the criteria need to be adjusted. The criteria need to be put aside. We need to look at disability in terms of function. We need to create a scheme that has levels where people with certain disabilities can access what is appropriate for them, in order to get them to participate in society. It baffles me that the priority is scrabbling about to put a new board in place. That should not be the priority. To be honest, approximately 1% of those waiting for appeal might have progressed sufficiently to get it on appeal. We are not actually harming a huge number of people, but people are being harmed by being continuously assessed at primary level and turned down due to a set of criteria that is not fit for purpose. That is a problem. I do not believe that the priority is in place to get this thing rewritten and present the Irish people with an equitable scheme for people with disability to access transport. I think the priority has been to put together a new board to continue, in what could be a very questionable way, what is not working. That is not good enough. We need to prioritise sitting down. We know what people with disability would like to help them with transport. We are a huge resource. We have both been involved in this for ten years. We know what they want, and we want to help them. We just need to sit down and get out of the mindset of rebuilding what is not working. We have to start from the bottom and work out what is going to work for transport for people with disability. It is there and it is available; we just need to reset our mindset and look at it.