Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and I thank my fellow members of the Regional Group for bringing this motion. As has already been stated, those in households that are in the challenging position of requiring transport methods that need to be adopted for disability purposes spend, on average, €9,027 on items relating to that disability. These items include, but are not limited to, disability-specific items and unique versions of products specially adopted for use by people with disability challenges, particularly in respect of specially adapted motor vehicles.

The bottom line is that, unfortunately, transport costs tend to be just an additional cost of living that people with disabilities simply cannot afford. This situation is only getting worse now as all other daily living costs, like light and heat and power, are getting more expensive almost weekly.

My view is that everyone, including those with disabilities, should be given the opportunity to lead full and active lives in their communities. Clearly, people with disabilities need to have access to affordable public and personal transport in order to lead fully inclusive lives. It is also clear that most people with disability challenges are unable to access Government supports for their personal transport needs. When they are unable to access these supports, it is unfortunately the case that many become confined to their homes and, as a result, are unable to engage equally in employment or get involved in their community in ways they would like. This is wrong and must be addressed. The Government must step up and offer the support and assistance that are badly needed.

This is why the Regional Group is calling on the Government to take the following actions: provide the necessary funding to urgently finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant; reinstate and amend the primary medical certificate process, which is not fit for purpose; address issues concerning eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect; and improve access to public transport for people with disabilities and invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility and inclusion for people with disabilities.

We are also calling on the Government to take immediate action because of several issues. These include the fact that the disabled drivers and disabled passenger schemes continues to reinforce the inequitable eligibility criteria in primary legislation and excluding many people in need of access to supports for personal transport. On this point, I have dealt with constituents in Louth who have attempted to apply to these schemes. The bottom line is that it is nearly impossible to get approval. There is no consistency in the approach taken. Since the discontinuation of the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant for new applicants in 2013, the Government has yet to introduce a fair and equal replacement scheme. This is wrong and must be addressed immediately.

The recent report by the Ombudsman, Grounded: Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes, highlights the years of inaction on the part of the Government in failing to address supports for people with disabilities. In tabling this motion, the Regional Group is seeking to highlight many issues faced by people with disabilities when it comes to transport. It should also be noted that Ireland, as a signatory to the UNCRPD has a responsibility to provide equal access to transportation to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and to participate fully in all aspects of life. As a society, we must ensure that all people with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives within our communities and that they also have full access to public and personal transport. We cannot have a situation whereby people with disabilities are confined to their homes and unable to engage equally in employment or in their community because they are unable to access Government supports to assist with their personal transport needs.

Once more, I thank my colleagues in the Regional Group for their help and assistance with bringing this motion to the House. I ask all Deputies to support this motion and to recognise that there are, unfortunately, people with disabilities who are being confined to their homes simply because they are unable to access Government supports. In this day and age, this is wrong. In fact, it is morally wrong. People with disabilities should be able to live full and active lives, and if that means having to access Government support to enjoy an active life, then we must ensure there are no barriers excluding them from doing so.

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