Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. O’Shea's earlier response was that we have come a long way in understanding disability and in understanding the broad breadth of disability. However, the fear is that the different schemes that have been thought up did not go far enough. That is where it is at. There is the fear that you could actually exclude people. Sometimes, when trying to find perfection, it comes at the cost of doing nothing at all. That may be the space we are in as well. I will leave it at that. Progress has to be made in that space and there is no denying whatsoever; it has gone on for far too long.

Deputy Ellis asked about the North-South coverage. At the moment, the service is provided in Dublin and it has been extended to Cork and Limerick. It is to be rolled out nationally. Free travel also applies North and South. I assume that this will operate on the same basis.

The next question was about consultations. We can do nothing here unless we have consultations with persons who have lived experience, people with disabilities and DPOs. It is vital that we have that consultation. That is the consultation that is required for all pieces of the joined-up thinking approach. That has been lacking and far too much siloing has been done within Departments. There has not been enough cross-government or cross-Department work done to find the solutions and to ensure that there is complete inclusion and pathways for persons with disabilities.

The Deputy asked about EVs. The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme currently supports approximately 5,800 people at a cost of €62 million. It is my understanding that applicants are not precluded on the basis that they do or do not have an EV. However, I hear what the Deputy is saying, which is that the cost of electric-----