Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Sasha and Zara, who are visiting with Senator Conway. It is great to see them both. I think Sasha is continuing her mother's tradition, so well done.

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important issue. Before I go into the substance of the response, I agree with her on it being appalling that people who are not disabled are parking in disabled parking spots. The Senator is probably aware that there is a fixed fine of €150 and if people abuse the permit, there is a fixed fine of €200. However, it should not be happening. It is morally dreadful. They are there for a purpose. As I say, they are a scarce resource and should be valued. I want to put on the record that they should be honoured.

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. As background, the disabled parking scheme operates by segregating a proportion of public parking bays for the use of disabled parking permit holders. The Senator will appreciate that it only works on public roads and does not apply on private property. These permits, also known as European parking cards or disabled parking badges, the blue badge scheme, are currently available to people living in Ireland whose mobility is severely and permanently restricted, whether they are drivers or passengers.

The intention of the permit, and of the disabled parking scheme more generally, is to provide access to parking bays of sufficient size in close proximity to important services such as post offices, banks, pharmacies and shops for people for whom access to such services would be denied if they could not park and disembark either because of the size of the parking bay or because they could not park within a short distance of a service because of their limited mobility.

As the House is aware, drivers and passengers with various form of cognitive impairment, including dementia, do not qualify for the permit. This is because the disabled parking permit is not aimed at disabled applicants in general, but is in fact specifically designed for people with impaired mobility, as this is the cohort most directly disadvantaged by inaccessible parking spaces that are too far away from their destination, or standard parking spaces that are too small to facilitate safe exit from the vehicle with a wheelchair, walking aid or oxygen equipment. That does not in any way take away from the point the Senator raises about people with dementia.

In 2010, the Department of Transport conducted a review of the disabled parking scheme in consultation with various stakeholders. One of the central issues examined in the course of this review was eligibility for the scheme. Disability groups in particular were unhappy at the fact that some people were being issued with disabled parking permits because they had particular medical conditions rather than an actual mobility impairment. As a result of the review the scheme was revised so that permits are now given on the basis of mobility impairment rather than the diagnosis of a particular condition or illness. This is in line with the original intention of the scheme and prioritises accessible parking for those who need it the most.

Senators may be interested to know that the Department of Transport is currently undertaking a fresh review of the disabled parking scheme, consisting of a thorough mapping of the present operation of the scheme, an analysis of the relevant legislative basis and a targeted stakeholder consultation. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, has confirmed that permit eligibility will be among the matters to be considered in close detail.

I know the Senator raised a pilot scheme which is in operation in the UK. That could feed into the review. The key thing is that a review is under way. I will take back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the point the Senator raised about people with dementia. There is now a formal review in place. It is something that the dementia group should be involved in and we will take it back to the Minister, Deputy Ryan.