Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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205. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will extend the disabled person's parking card to persons with fibromyalgia, given the nature of the condition involves widespread body pain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27591/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I have responsibility for the legislation and policy underpinning the disabled parking permit.

Disabled parking permits are 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.

Eligibility for the permit is not based on a fixed list of specific conditions, but the extent to which the applicant's ability to walk is affected by their disability or long-term illness.

While the possibility of extending the eligibility criteria for the scheme to include people with varying conditions has been raised with my Department on a number of occasions, I must be very clear that issuing a large number of extra permits by extending the criteria would put the scheme under significant additional pressure and compromise the availability of disabled parking spaces to people with restricted mobility, for whom accessible parking is essential.

The Deputy may wish to note that individual applicants with fibromyalgia may qualify for a permit where a medical professional deems their mobility to be affected to the point that they satisfy the statutory criteria.

The Deputy may also wish to note that my Department is currently undertaking a review of the Disabled Parking Scheme, with a particular focus on eligibility and need.