Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Minister for Health if he plans to bring back the motorised transport grant following on from a review committee being set up in 2013; if so, when; and the conditions that will be attached to the grant. [39015/16]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Conscious of the reports of the Ombudsman in 2011 and 2012 regarding the legal status of both the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant Scheme in the context of the Equal Status Acts, the Government decided to close both schemes in February 2013. As a result, the Motorised Transport Grant referred to by the Deputy, has not been in place for over three years. There are no plans for its restoration on the basis upon which it was previously operated.

However, the Government is aware of the continuing needs of people with a disability who rely on individual payments that support choice and independence. In this regard, monthly payments of up to €208.50 have continued to be made by the Health Service Executive to 4,700 people who were in receipt of the Mobility Allowance.

The Government decided that the detailed preparatory work required for a new Transport Support Scheme and associated statutory provisions should be progressed by the Minister for Health. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Programme for Partnership Government acknowledges the ongoing drafting of primary legislation for a new Transport Support Scheme.

The Department of Health is seeking a solution which will best meet the aim of supporting people with severe disabilities who require additional income to contribute towards the costs of their mobility needs, while keeping within the available budget and satisfying all legal and equality concerns. I can confirm that work on the policy proposals in this regard is at an advanced stage and I anticipate that this will be brought to Government shortly.