Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is quite a lot in the question asked by the Deputy and I will deal with the matters in the series they were addressed to me.

On the issue of the national children's hospital, the Government will proceed with the building of the hospital. There has been been talk for as long as I can remember about the building of such a hospital. We are going ahead and will build it. As the Deputy will be aware, An Bord Pleanála struck down the planning application for the original site identified as the location of the hospital and the Government subsequently appointed a group to look at the options available to it. We will be considering the report from that group in the near future. The Taoiseach gave an indicative timeframe in that regard when he addressed the issue in the House during the week. The people need to be assured that the Government will proceed with the building of a national children's hospital and we have identified the source of the funding for it. It will be of enormous benefit to the people, particularly children.

The Ombudsman has made a report on the mobility allowance issue. She has recommended that the upper age limit of 66 years as a condition of the mobility allowance scheme be removed with immediate effect. She has recommended that the HSE reconsider the applications of the four complainants mentioned in the report and that it reconsider the applications received since 1 April 2011 which were refused solely on the basis of the upper age limit. This matter requires further consideration by the Government in order to meet the requirements of the Equal Status Act 2000 and ensure there is no hardship for those in receipt of the mobility allowance. We are seeking further legal advice on the options available to the Government. It is not its wish to withdraw the allowance from those who receive it. It will be seeking legal advice on how we can proceed in a way that is reasonable and sustainable and will not cause undue distress to those in receipt of the allowance. The Ombudsman found in an investigation she conducted that an upper age limit of 66 years for the allowance was not in compliance with the Equal Status Act and recommended that the scheme be reviewed and brought into compliance with the Act. She also raised the issue in her 2011 annual report. The mobility allowance was established in 1979 by way of a departmental circular. There were two further circulars, in 2002 and 2007, but the basic criteria applied remain. A person must be unable to walk or be in such a condition that the exertion required to walk would be dangerous to his or her health. The allowance is payable by the Health Service Executive, subject to a means test, to persons with a severe disability.

See this speech in context