Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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105. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when he expects to receive the comprehensive review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. [50588/22]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister for an update on the review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. The scheme has provided supports for those who have been able to avail of it but it has been described by the Ombudsman as "excessively restrictive". It has been the subject of a Supreme Court ruling and its deficiencies have led to the resignation of the entire board of appeals.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for tabling this question. The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme is the responsibility of the Minister for Finance and is administered by the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners. It provides relief from vehicle registration tax and VAT on the purchase of adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. The scheme is open to severely and permanently disabled persons as a driver or as a passenger as well as certain charitable organisations.

In response to concerns raised on access to the scheme and the relevant qualifying criteria, my colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, committed to undertaking a comprehensive review of the scheme. Legislative and budgetary responsibility for the scheme continues to lie with the Department of Finance, which will be able to address granular queries on the current status and operation of the scheme and any dedicated review thereof.

Consideration of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme has taken place in the context of action 104 of the national disability inclusion strategy. The NDIS transport working group, which was established in 2020 to advance action 104, has a specific objective derived from the make work pay report of 2017 to coordinate actions across Government on transport and mobility supports for people with disabilities and to enhance the options for transport to work or employment for people with disabilities. Action 104 commits that a review of existing Government-funded transport and mobility schemes will be conducted with a view to developing proposals for the development of a co-ordinated plan for delivery of transport supports for persons with disabilities.

Following engagement last year between the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman and Donohoe, it was decided the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme would be included in the transport working group's holistic review and development of next-steps proposals as part of its work. The disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme was discussed by the transport working group in its most recent meeting in September 2022.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply, but there is nothing in it with which I can bring back to my constituents, who have raised concerns on this issue, that would provide them with any assurances.

I wish to correct the Minister of State on one point. The Minister for Finance did not act at the behest of concerns that were raised, because concerns have been raised about this scheme for years. The Minister acted as a result of a Supreme Court ruling that essentially forced the Government to introduce emergency legislation. Unfortunately, the emergency legislation ring-fenced the existing criteria, which are far too strict. They set out that in order to avail of this grant a person has to have lost a limb. There is nothing more frustrating than talking to people who cannot leave their house due to their disability or their in ability to access a car and are being told by a Department that they are not disabled enough to receive support. I ask the Minister of State, who is committed to these issues, to ensure this is prioritised, in the first instance, by the Department of Health.

I do not believe that the Department of Finance will act unilaterally on this matter. It will only act if it is forced to.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. My Department is completely committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have access to transport, whether through the disabled drivers scheme, local transport or ensuring that Bus Éireann makes provisions for services for people with disabilities in its bus system. However, I have to be fair in terms of the working group. The Department of Finance attended the meeting and its representatives were very forthcoming on what it will cost and how we consider restructuring because it is restrictive. The current restrictive scheme, related to primary medical certificates, costs €64 million on an annual basis. That does not include other forms of transport which include disabilities. They cost hundreds of millions of euro. We are carrying out a complete review.

I agree the scheme is far too restrictive and does not take into consideration children with behavioural issues or people who have Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis. Such people have all their limbs, but may be excluded from the scheme. That is the purpose of the working group.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I refer to the board of appeal. The entire board resigned en massealmost a year ago. My understanding is that it has proven very difficult for the Department to find others to sit on the board, precisely because they are being put into an impossible situation. They are adjudicating on heartbreaking appeals and the criteria set down means they have no flexibility in awarding payments. What is the update in respect of reinstating the board of appeal, considering more than 670 people are awaiting the outcome of appeals?

My next question relates to the budget. No additional funding for the scheme was announced in the budget. That would lead me to fear that there is no real ambition in the Department of Finance to expand the criteria of the scheme. Will provision be made for emergency additional funding to be provided if the criteria are expanded?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I will answer the last question first. If I was in the Deputy's position, I would table a Priority Question to the Minister for Finance, who could answer that question.

Regarding the board of appeal, the Deputy is correct in saying that it is very difficult to fill the board because GPs have recognised that it is far too restrictive. To be fair to the nine CHOs where the first assessment has been completed, they are fully operational. They are getting through the assessment of needs process. It is only at an appeal level that we do not have a board. It is to be hoped the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, will be able to make a recommendation for five people who could go on it.