Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Most people who know me know that I am not one to hang around and keep looking at a problem. My philosophy in life is to find a solution as quickly as possible. This one has been more difficult than most. We would have preferred it if we could have retained the old scheme and perhaps put a legislative framework around it and allow it to expand. That was not possible because of circumstances outside of this House of which the Deputy is aware. However, it is also important to note that the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' scheme operated by the Revenue Commissioners remains in place. This scheme provides VRT and VAT relief, an exemption from road tax and a fuel grant to drivers and passengers with a disability who qualify under the relevant criteria set out in the governing regulations made by the Minister for Finance. I assure the Deputy that the development of legislative proposals to replace the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant remains a priority for this Government.

We think differently now about disability and that is a good thing as we are more open and more challenged by putting services in place that allow people to make decisions for themselves. The capacity legislation was a major step along the road in that area. What we will put in place needs to have the flexibility to ensure we will be able to meet people's different needs as they emerge in the future. This is something that appears on our radar every week and will continue to do so. I agree with the Deputy that it needs to be dealt with but, unfortunately, it has proved to be very difficult. I hope, however, that we have a mechanism with the new legislation which will ensure that can happen.

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