Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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572. To ask the Minister for Health when the special review group on devising an alternative scheme to the mobility allowance will deliver a report; the persons who are on this group; the criteria used to appoint them; their terms of reference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18830/13]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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A Project Group to review the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant has been established to seek an alternative method to provide for the priority transport needs of people with a disability in a manner that does not run counter to the Equal Status Acts. The Group, who will report to Government next month, have met five times. The results of the review will be presented to the Government before any final decisions are made on future arrangements. At this stage, I am not in a position to pre-empt the outcome of the review or the decision of the Government.

Membership of the Project Group , which is independently chaired, is drawn from both the statutory and the non-statutory sectors. The work of the Project Group is being supported by the National Disability Authority and includes representatives from the Irish Wheelchair Association, the Disability Federation of Ireland, the Centre for Independent Living, an independent service user and advocate for people with disabilities and a retired County Council Manager with relevant experience. Minister Reilly and I have instructed the Project Group to seek solutions across the whole of Government, so that alongside representatives from the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, membership also includes representatives from An Pobal and from the Departments of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Environment, Community & Local Government, Social Protection and Finance.