Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply but I cannot accept it. I think it is disgraceful. I am sure the Minister of State will agree that this scheme is antiquated. It is antiquated in the qualifying criteria requiring people to be wholly without the use of one or both limbs etc. I deal with this every day of the week in my surgery. Not only are the qualifying criteria antiquated, the appeals process is antiquated as well. If somebody is refused a primary care certificate, where can he or she go for an appeal? Disabled people are expected to go to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire for an appeal. They must travel from all over the country, making a trip of four or five hours duration from north-west Mayo or Cork, to sit in front of somebody and be refused again. That is one antiquated element of the scheme.

If we are serious about being an inclusive society we need to include people with cognitive impairments, as highlighted by councillor O'Connor. Small changes would save this country a lot of money and make our society a lot more inclusive. We are not asking for a lot. We are asking for people with serious diagnosed cognitive impairment to be considered for this. I do not accept that the Minister of Finance has no plans to change the scheme. I will work with Councillor O'Connor to introduce legislation in this regard. The appeals scheme needs to change and we need to include people with cognitive impairment.