Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Finance when he will act on the interdepartmental report which was completed in 2003 into the review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers (tax concessions) scheme. [6507/05]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The interdepartmental review group examined all aspects of the scheme including the qualifying medical criteria, the benefits and the appeals process. The report of the group was published on my Department's website in July 2004 and copies have been placed in the Oireachtas library.

Following on from the report's recommendations concerning the appeals process, amendments to the regulations governing the scheme were made to improve the operation of the appeals process. These were signed by the Minister for Finance on 23 July 2004.

The amendments provided for changes as follows: expanding the panel of medical practitioners serving on the medical board of appeal from three to five, and; amending the appeals process by introducing a six month waiting period between an appeal and subsequent application, and introducing the requirement for a second or subsequent application to be certified by a registered medical practitioner to the effect that there has been material disimprovement in the medical condition since the previous application.

Given the scale and scope of the scheme, further changes can only be made after very careful consideration. For this reason, the Government has decided that the Minister for Finance will consider the recommendations contained in the report of the interdepartmental review group in the context of the annual budgetary process having regard to the existing and prospective cost of the scheme.