Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

No. Let us deal with the facts. The Government has always been quite satisfied to continue the mobility allowance and the motorised transport scheme. That has always been our position. The Government is not seeking to end the mobility allowance or the motorised transport scheme. What has happened is that the Ombudsman has found that the operation of those schemes does not comply with the terms of the Equal Status Acts, and she has recommended that they be extended to a much wider catchment than those who currently have them. The existing budget is about €10.6 million. The financial consequence of the extension recommended by the Ombudsman would be to raise the figure from €10.6 million to €100 million in the case of the mobility allowance, and €200 million over a three-year period for the motorised transport grant.

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