Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

I support these amendments which are important pressure points. As this is not a rights-based Bill, these amendments can give people some comfort. To understand what difference this Bill will make when it is passed, one must look at the individual services on which it will make an impact. I was pleased that the Minister of State accepted the point on developing areas and undertook to examine it more closely.

There are other areas which serve to highlight the problem of delays and how they affect people. For example, an interdepartmental group in 1998 concluded its deliberations on the tax exemption for people with disabilities to have a car and thereby live fuller lives. The interdepartmental group recommended a change in the restrictive criteria for the primary medical certificate. There are approximately 600 people waiting to appeal a decision of rejection for this tax exemption. The average waiting time is three years. One would need to be an amputee to qualify for this exemption. People who have had a stroke or who have multiple sclerosis can do well and gain independence if they qualify for the exemption. This is an example of how the delay in making a decision affects a group of people whose level of dependency is increased by the failure to decide. When I tabled a question to the Minister for Finance specifically on the criteria asking when it might be relaxed and if he was considering it, the bottom line was that the Minister would consider the report on an ongoing basis in the overall budgetary context having regard to the existing and prospective cost of the scheme. That is what concerns all of us because the difference lies in that being changed. There are 600 people waiting but not all will qualify. I am certain there are people who apply for this and do not get it for good reason but there are others who require it. The Minister informed me that 17% of those who appeal win their appeal. The problem is that the average wait is three years, which a stroke victim or an MS sufferer does not have. That underlines the importance of having something within a specified time frame. That may not be the absolute example but it gives an indication of the pressure point.

How will the embargo work having regard to the administration that is to be set up under the Bill? If that is to be taken into consideration and there are approved additional people in administration, will that impact negatively on the front line therapy or other services that make a direct difference to people?

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