Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 16 December 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters

Personal Transport for People with Disabilities: Office of the Ombudsman

Mr. Peter Tyndall:

As Ms Cooney says, the test of that will be the NSP for the coming year. We would expect to see a substantial increase in the number of people being resettled next year. If 18 was a pilot programme then a major increase is needed. It will be past my time as Ombudsman but it is something that the office will be keeping a close eye on. I am glad that colleagues were reassured by my successor. I know he is determined to keep an eye on the recommendations that have been made, to make sure they are delivered upon and to highlight any failure to do so. I do not doubt he will do that. It is somewhat speculative at this stage. The intention is there and the programme for Government includes a commitment to stop people going in and a commitment to resettle people. The scale of that will become obvious when we see the NSP.