Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Finance the budget provided to the Disabled Drivers Appeals Board for the years 2000 to 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8424/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of clinics held outside of Dublin by the Disabled Drivers Appeals Board each year from 2000 to 2009; if clinics will be held in Cork or other areas outside Dublin in 2010; the number of persons assessed at these clinics; the cost of these clinics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8425/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for Finance the waiting list for persons waiting assessment by the Disabled Drivers Appeals Board; the number of persons on the waiting list for the Cork clinic; the number of people on the waiting list for clinics in other areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8426/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Finance the number of persons with disabilities claiming tax reliefs for the purchase and use of vehicles as drivers or passengers in each year from 2000 to 2009; the average tax relief received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8427/10]

Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Finance if delays in the disabled drivers appeals boards assessment of persons, particularly persons outside of Dublin, applying for disabled drivers and passengers tax relief has affected the number of persons now claiming this tax relief; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8428/10]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 to 103, inclusive, and 107 and 108 together.

The Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal is hosted by the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH), Rochestown Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin on behalf of the Department of Finance and the cost of the Board has been recouped to the NRH since 2005 from the Department of Finance Vote. I am therefore providing information in relation to costs for 2005 and the following years. The cost of the Medical Board of Appeal from 2005 - 2009

The above costs include the salary costs of the Chairperson of the Board who is a consultant with the NRH and Beaumont Hospital.

I understand from the Chairperson of the Medical Board of Appeal, (which is independent in the exercise of its functions), that there are currently no delays for people awaiting an assessment by the Board of Appeal. Clinics are normally held in Dublin and 30 people are generally invited to attend for assessment at a clinic. From time to time, persons appealing a decision not to grant them a Primary Medical Certificate decline an assessment in Dublin. I understand that there is only a very small number of applicants seeking a clinic in Cork. When sufficient numbers warrant it, a clinic is held outside Dublin. Since 2000 three Regional clinics have been held in Cork, the most recent in 2006. The Medical Board of Appeal have informed me that they propose to hold a clinic outside Dublin later in the year.

The tax concessions available under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme for a qualifying person are as follows.

· For a disabled driver, the relief (from VRT and VAT) is a maximum of €9,525, with excise relief on up to 600 gallons (2728 litres) of fuel per annum.

· For a disabled passenger the relief (from VRT and VAT) is a maximum of

€15,875, with excise relief on up to 600 gallons (2728 litres) of fuel per annum

· Organisations looking after the disabled are entitled to a relief of €15,875 per vehicle and excise relief on up to 900 gallons (4092 litres) of fuel per annum.

Vehicles coming under the scheme are also exempt from annual road tax.

In the year of purchase of a car a claimant receives benefits relating to the purchase of the car, fuel relief and road tax, in other years the benefits received are in respect of fuel and road tax.

The number of claims for VRT relief under the scheme, and the cost of the tax concessions (VRT, VAT and Excise on Fuel) from 2000 is set out in the following table. The cost of the exemption from annual road tax is not readily available but it is estimated to have been around €8m in 2008, bringing the overall cost of the scheme in that year to around €76m. The average total annualised value of the above benefits is estimated at around €5,500 per claimant in that year.

Details of the reliefs from 2000 - 2009

(a) It is estimated that the number of people in the Scheme is around 2.1 times the annual number of VRT claimants in a normal year. Beneficiaries under the scheme generally change vehicles around every two years.