Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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284. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the medical and mobility eligibility criteria for a disabled person's parking card; the number of persons holding a disabled person's parking card in each of the years from 2018 to 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2003/23]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Disabled Parking Permit (also known as the European Parking Card or Disabled Parking Badge) is available to people living in Ireland whose mobility is severely restricted, whether they are drivers or passengers, and also to those who are registered blind.  The intention of the scheme is that appropriately sized, conveniently located parking bays adjacent to essential services such as shops, pharmacies, doctors' surgeries and post offices be legally reserved for those who might otherwise be unable to access such services because of their inability to walk unaided.

In response to the second part of the Deputy's question, I must be clear that my Department's remit is limited to the drafting of the legislation underpinning the Disabled Parking Scheme and does not include the day-to-day administration of that scheme or the processing of permits. The Deputy may wish to approach the joint issuing bodies of the scheme, the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) and the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI) in order to obtain the relevant statistics directly.