Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are seeking to find a solution by which there will be no reduction in the money that has been allocated, as I said earlier. The money allocated for both schemes is ring-fenced and there will be no reduction in it. We are trying to find a solution that will meet the legal requirement highlighted by the Ombudsman. A project group has been established to examine that and consult with the people affected - that is, those who hold the mobility allowance and benefit from the motorised transport scheme - and the representative groups to which they belong. That process has been done and a report on it is with the Minister for Health. He will bring recommendations to the Government arising from that.

It is important to be clear about this matter. This is not a case of the Government cutting money or deciding to end schemes. This is a case in which the Ombudsman has made a recommendation which clearly states that the operation of those schemes is outside the terms of the Equal Status Acts. She has further made recommendations which would have an enormous financial cost attached to them. Therefore, we are trying to find a resolution that will be legal and that will be within the ring-fenced budget that is already allocated for those schemes.

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