John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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81. To ask the Minister for Finance when the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal will be set up and operating again given that it has not been operating since late 2021; the way is it proposed to deal with the huge backlog of hundreds of applications; the way the backlog will be dealt with in a timely manner given the many appeals that have to be heard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3519/23]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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82. To ask the Minister for Finance if the guidelines for the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal are being updated for the new board when it is in place (details supplied); if the guidelines have changed; and if so, the way they have changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3520/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 82 together.

The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme provides relief from Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant.

The Scheme is open to severely and permanently disabled persons as a driver or as a passenger and also to certain charitable organisations. In order to qualify for relief, the applicant must hold a Primary Medical Certificate issued by the relevant Senior Area Medical Officer (SAMO) or a Board Medical Certificate issued by the Disabled Driver Medical Board of Appeal (DDMBA). To qualify for a Primary Medical Certificate an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled, and satisfy at least one of the six medical criteria.

It is expected that the DDMBA will be established shortly. The background is that following the resignation of all members of the previous DDMBA, effective from 30th November 2021, two Expression of Interest campaigns have been held, seeking suitable candidates for the Board. The Department of Health has led on all actions and tasks with respect to the Expression of Interest Campaigns. Department of Finance officials have provided support to the Department of Health in this matter.

The first campaign closed on 29th April. As there were insufficient suitable candidates arising from the first campaign, a second round was issued with a closing date of 5th July 2022. From these, three suitable candidates have successfully completed Garda vetting. Five members are legislatively required for a functional Board with a quorum of three needed for any appeal hearing. Two other candidates have recently been deemed suitable and are in the process of being Garda vetted. All five candidates have been nominated by the Minister of Health.

Once Garda vetting is completed for the two aforementioned candidates, I will then be in a position to appoint them to the Board. I am hopeful that the new Board will be up and running in the next few weeks, and once operational, it will consider the best way of ensuring outstanding appeals are addressed as quickly as possible. You should also note that my officials have had two meetings with the nominated members in order to begin the preparations for the commencement of the appeals process.

Requests for appeal hearings can be sent to the DDMBA secretary in the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH). The NRH provides clinical facilities and staffing (including a secretary) to facilitate the DDMBA in carrying out its remit, and costs incurred are reimbursed to the NRH annually by DFIN. Appeal hearing dates for the outstanding appeals will be issued once the new Board is in place.

You should be aware that assessments for the primary medical certificate, by the HSE, are continuing to take place. In this regard, an important point to make is that even though there has been no appeal mechanism since the previous Board resigned, applicants who have been deemed not to have met one of the six eligibility criteria required for a PMC are entitled to request another PMC assessment six months after an unsuccessful PMC assessment.

Finally, as the Deputy is aware, my predecessor Minister Donohoe committed to a comprehensive review of the DDS under the auspices of a broader review of mobility supports. In order to achieve this objective, Minister O’Gorman agreed in September 2021 that the DDS review should be incorporated into the work of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) Transport Working Group (TWG).

The Working Group, under the Chairpersonship of Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, held a number of meetings across 2022. A draft report was considered at its final meeting on 8th December 2022, and is currently being finalised. It is expected that it will be published soon.