Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I listened to Peter Tyndall, the Ombudsman, speaking this morning about his frustration regarding the abject failure of successive Governments to assist people with disabilities with transport schemes. We know that two key schemes were scrapped in 2013, namely, the mobility transport grant and the mobility allowance. These were grants which allowed people to purchase motorised vehicles or to access taxis to go to work, to shop and to take part in the life of their communities. It is bad enough that they were scrapped in 2013, but the fact that there are still no schemes in place for these people eight years on is just unacceptable. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for people with disabilities listening to the Ombudsman express his deep frustration as he leaves his role and stating that after eight years in the job he has made no progress and that there appears to be no one in government willing to listen and take action on this key issue. We often talk now about previous Governments and what they should have done, but this Government is not delivering for these people and nor did that which preceded it.

How can it be that we have a Government which appears to be happy to sit with its arms folded and continue to discriminate against people with disabilities eight years on? There is absolutely no excuse for this. The Ombudsman made the point very clearly that the reason there has not been any action is because the Government is not prepared to spend the money. That is not my view; it is the view of the Ombudsman as he leaves his role. I am asking for an urgent debate on this issue. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that this action is not delayed any further as eight years of failure are more than enough.