Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I appreciate the work that is being done. It is hugely positive and benefits us all, albeit many of us indirectly. One of the issues with grants, particularly where they are means-tested, is that when they work and the person who is a recipient of that grant makes more money or has more resources available to him or her, they then fall outside the criteria if it is means-tested. This applies across the board in relation to grants for people with disabilities. The reality is that even if they have more money or resources available to them, they still have the same disability, challenge and mountain to overcome. It is counterproductive to have a situation where a means-tested grant is taken away from somebody who has achieved some success in relation to the very challenges they are trying to overcome.

I hope the Minister takes that into account in the way the scheme will operate from here.

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