Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Committee on Disability Matters
Participation in Community Life for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion
2:00 am
Mr. Kevin O'Brien:
The recycle mobility programme is where people can apply to Variety for funding we receive from the HSE and the Departments of Transport and children. They can apply for a subsistence grant toward the cost of a special mobility bike for their child. Normally, that was up to the age of 18. We have actually removed the ceiling now. We are not going to exclude people. You cannot be ageist or whatever. People can apply for special mobility bikes. We will put subsistence in place. When the child outgrows that bike, we take it back, NCT it and pass it on to a special school in order that even more children can enjoy cycling together. This means that the child who is passing on their bike can go back into the system to apply for money for their next bike. It is not reinventing the wheel, but it is a sustainable programme that saves bikes from going to landfill or wherever. It is also environmentally friendly. It is also inclusion in schools and outside the classroom. The recycle mobility programme report that will be published next month will show that for every euro the Government invests in the programme, it is giving a five-euro return. That is a good return on investment. That is not just a one-off; it is year on year.
The HSE and the Ministers have been magnificent in getting politicians to buy into programmes or whatever and to listen. They are listening now, because it is scientifically driven. You cannot argue with science. They are engaging. After today's meeting, we will be travelling to Galway to meet the Minister, Deputy Foley, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton and the HSE to present another special mobility bike. It is about getting people mobile. It should be fun.
We are not a huge charity but we pack a punch. We are there to help, not just children but also families, because this is a family thing. We are lucky. As I said, the event we did was fantastic. It was great to see so much come from it. There is a video going live tomorrow, with families down in Whitehall Colmcille GAA Club. We are going to do this with other clubs around Dublin as well. The GAA, as I said, is a fantastic organisation. We work with Dublin GAA. I have never worked with an organisation like it. I always say, "They are bigger than the Catholic Church." That is what we do.