Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will give further consideration to the request by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare under the 1994 disabled drivers-disabled passengers tax concession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6468/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Qualification for the tax concessions under the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme is by reference to specified medical criteria, as set out in the 1994 regulations. In this regard, six different types of disablement are listed and a qualifying person must satisfy one or more of them. The six types of disablement are as follows: persons who are wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs; persons who are wholly without the use of one of their legs and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that they are severely restricted as to movement of their lower limbs; persons without both hands or without both arms; persons without one or both legs; persons wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg; and persons having the medical condition of dwarfism who have serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.

It is a fundamental requirement for admission to the scheme that the applicant meets the specified medical criteria and is in possession of a primary medical certificate to that effect, issued by the appropriate senior area medical officer who is an official of the local health board. I have no function in deciding whether individual certificates are issued. Where the issue of the required certificate is refused, this can be appealed to the disabled drivers medical board of appeal, an independent body, whose decision is final.