Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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229. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will include Parkinson's disease as a qualifying condition for the primary medical certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11048/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My predecessor Minister Donohoe committed to a comprehensive review of the Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme (DDS) as part 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 NDIS TWG was tasked, under Action 104 of the NDIS, with reviewing all Government-funded transport and mobility supports for those with a disability and for making proposals for transport and mobility solutions for those with a disability.

The Working Group, under the Chairpersonship of Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, held a number of meetings across 2022 and a final report was published on 24 February.

As part of its engagement in this process, the Department of Finance established an information-gathering Criteria Sub-group (CSG) at the start of 2022. Its membership comprised of former members of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal (DDMBA) and Principal Medical Officers (PMOs) in the HSE. Its purpose was to capture their experiences, expertise and perspectives in relation to the practical operational and administrative challenges of the DDS, as well as to explore what alternative vehicular arrangements were available for those with mobility issues based on international experience. The CSG work led to the production of five papers and a technical annex, submitted to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in July 2022.

The main conclusion of the CSG is that the DDS needs to be replaced with a fit for purpose, needs-based vehicular adaptation scheme in line with best international practice.

This conclusion, together with design principles and parameters for the new scheme as based on international practice, were incorporated into a response by the Minister for Finance to three questions posed in September 2022 to members of the NDIS Transport Working Group, in respect of proposals for enhanced, new and/or reconfigured supports to meet the transport and mobility needs for those with a disability.

The final report of the NDIS Transport Working Group, published on 24th February, reflects my Department's views with respect to introducing a new vehicular adaptation scheme, but does not propose next steps in terms of implementing such a scheme. I will work with Government colleagues to seek ways to advance the new scheme.