Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today’s motion relates to the important issue of improving transport options for people with disabilities. I thank the Regional Group for giving me the platform to speak about what is going on in my Department with regard to this matter. We have to recognise that there are transport challenges for people with disabilities, which I and my Government colleagues are addressing. I acknowledge the Ombudsman’s recent report from November 2021 and the resignation of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal in January, which clearly indicate that we have work to do in relation to the provision of adequate transport supports for people with disabilities. The Government recognises the need to develop support structures that are open, accessible and that meet the complex and varied needs of people with disabilities.

There is a complexity to the issues involved that requires a considered response, especially given the diversity of the needs of people with disabilities. We must clearly identify the gaps and avoid jumping into hasty solutions which may not be sustainable or adequate in the long term. We must instead ensure that we are creating properly tailored and properly targeted supports. The Government’s national disability inclusion strategy, NDIS, contains clear commitments and actions related to accessible transport options and mobility supports for people with disabilities. Successful delivery of the NDIS is a priority for me and for the Government, including in the context of our commitments to review and take action on transport supports.

The motion raises a number of critical issues. We are addressing these through the NDIS, which I chair, and specifically through the transport working group, which I also chair. Although it is not in the script, it is important for me to say that I am a rural Deputy. I understand this. Many constituents come to me regularly about it. I knew about it long before I became a Deputy or a Minister of State. This has been a priority for me since I first came into office. I asked about transport and the Department told me that the Department of Health does not look after transport. I pulled out the HSE open routes model. In the last weeks, I have managed to reconfigure the transport committee, and I am chairing it.

The transport working group is focused on achieving action 104 of the NDIS, which commits us to leading a review of transport supports and to develop proposals for a co-ordinated plan for such provision. This plan is to make the most efficient use of available transport resources. The working group met last month on 26 January. Following engagement last year between the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O’Gorman, it was decided to use the transport working group to assist in the review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. People who sit on that group include stakeholders and people from the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Social Protection, Health, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Transport. All the key stakeholders are sitting at the table. This is the first time in a number of years where we have gone back around the table and put transport at the centre of the table to find the solutions that Deputy Tóibín talks about. They are a priority.

One of the topics discussed at that meeting was the need to take stock of the current and past provision of transport supports in order to make an informed decision on what future action is required. In that regard, I asked Department representatives to present on the transport support schemes that they are responsible for, and I heard views and concerns from the stakeholders present. It was an informative discussion with diverse views. It is clear that a variety of measures and supports exist across Government and that we must make sure that action is co-ordinated across the system and addresses real needs. There is no point in the Department of Finance saying one thing and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth coming up with something else which is not funded. We need to establish the solutions to address the matters raised in the motion this morning. Most importantly, as the UNCRPD requires, disability stakeholders form part of this group and the contribution of members of the NDIS disability stakeholder group and the wider disability stakeholders present in January has been extremely valuable.

It is worth noting that the motion identifies the mobility allowance, the motorised transport grant, and the primary medical certificate process, which it states need to be reviewed. As the Deputies know, these schemes are being reviewed by the Departments responsible. An opportunity like this has been somewhat underutilised by the Deputies as it offers no suggestions beyond reviewing the current schemes. There are no new suggestions. The opportunity for innovation by the Deputies in how we approach these transport supports has been missed. We are all aware of the importance and benefit of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme, which is run by the Department of Finance. I am also aware of the criticism expressed about access to the scheme and the entry criteria for primary medical certificates. We all know that the entry criteria are out of date. For example, people who are blind, have Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis cannot access it. Once people show any form of mobility at all, they cannot access the scheme. We all know that it is not fit for purpose and needs to be reviewed in its entirety to address the matters of inclusion and participation in education and work. Action 104 just talks about opportunities to participate in employment. There is more to life than just work. That is a huge part of it, but there is also the matter of getting to education and being able to socialise. Whether people are living in Portumna or in Dublin 6, they should have the same opportunities.

The Minister for Finance is aware of these issues and committed to a comprehensive review of the scheme. The transport working group will play a strong role in supporting the Department of Finance in this and in ensuring that the next steps make sense across the system. Historically, two additional schemes, the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant, were operated by the HSE at a time when there was limited availability of accessible public transport options. The Government decided to close these administrative schemes in 2013 on foot of the reports of the Ombudsman in 2011 and 2012 regarding the legal status of both schemes in the context of the Equal Status Act. I am leading work looking at how these schemes can be redeveloped to ensure people are supported adequately.

I also want to set out the range of work currently in train to improve access to transport. We have ongoing work on accessible public transport being led by the Minister for Transport, in partnership with the National Transport Authority, some of which is focused specifically on rural challenges. We have the disability entitlement to the free travel scheme, administered by the Minister for Social Protection, the criteria for which were recently reviewed to be more open. We have Clár funding from the Minister for Rural and Community Development, delivering transport supports for rural areas. The task that Government has set itself over the coming months is to identify where needs are not being addressed and to see how to respond to these needs. That is my focus in leading the transport working group and that is the programme of work that lies before us.

I will call on all Departments and agencies with a role in this area to participate in that review and to help us assemble the evidence base we need to make informed choices. Through this working group, we have a real opportunity to deliver schemes fit for purpose in today’s world. That is why the Government is not opposing this motion, but also why I am saying that we need the time to formulate the right suite of measures. We know that there are transport challenges for people with disabilities in this country. In my role as Minister of State, I am determined to work actively to address those challenges, conscious of the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities get the opportunity to participate fully in society.

I referred to the HSE open routes model. We have seen that successfully used in Kerry and Leitrim. Bernard O'Regan from the HSE is leading that. I also looked at the group called Accessible Community Transport Southside, ACTS, based in Dublin. I am sure that Deputy Ward would be aware of it. It covers community healthcare organisations, CHOs, 6, 7 and 9. Depending on one's CHO, there may be no barriers. We need to take the lesson from this group, based on Dublin's southside. That is a model for integration. When people wish to go out on a Friday or Saturday evening to have a pint or go to the cinema, they can book this service.

At the moment, it is not adequately funded. I will hold my hands up and say that. More investment is needed. That is a model of rural link in an urban setting that we need to consider in terms of how to create that level of engagement. Gone are the days when we need a bus just for day services. We need to have buses to ensure that people can participate equally in society, day or night. I am very conscious of the massive impact of not having access to transport. On what the Ombudsman said, people are grounded. I am trying to unlock that to ensure that people can participate equally at all levels. I again thank the Deputies for bringing forward this motion.

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