Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I want to talk about the nature of the scheme. The Ombudsman described it as excessively restrictive. After June 2020, when the individuals affected took the matter to court and won the case, nothing appeared to change. The Minister made technical changes but they did not alter the qualifying criteria for the scheme or make it easier for people to qualify. The board itself had a meeting with the Minister in March 2021 and continued to say there was insufficient room to make the scheme more inclusive. In October 2021, the entire board resigned out of absolute frustration. It had had enough. The scheme is not fit for purpose.

Last week there was a response to a parliamentary question in this regard. The Minister indicated that the main conclusion of the criteria subgroup was that the scheme needs to be replaced with a fit-for-purpose, needs-based vehicular adaptation scheme in line with best international practice and that he and his Department share that view. Did it take two years, from June 2020 to November 2022, for the penny to drop?