Written answers
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Department of Finance
Grant Payments
Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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270. To ask the Minister for Finance if there are any grant funding schemes in place to support car adaptations for people with a disability or medical issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31999/25]
Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not operate a grant funding scheme for car adaptations. In relation to disability supports, its role is confined to the oversight of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme (DDS) only.
The DDS provides relief from VRT 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 who also meet the below medical criteria, as a driver or as a passenger and also to certain organisations. In order to qualify for relief, the applicant must hold a Primary Medical Certificate (PMC) issued by the relevant Principal Medical Officer (PMO) or a Board Medical Certificate issued by the Disabled Driver Medical Board of Appeal. Certain other qualifying criteria apply in relation to the vehicle, in particular that it must be specially constructed or adapted for use by the applicant.
To qualify for a Primary Medical Certificate an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled, and satisfy at least one of the following medical criteria, in order to obtain a Primary Medical Certificate:
- be wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs;
- be wholly without the use of one leg and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that the applicant is severely restricted as to movement of the lower limbs;
- be without both hands or without both arms;
- be without one or both legs;
- be wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg;
- have the medical condition of dwarfism and have serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
Only those who have met the criteria to qualify for a Primary or Board Medical Certificate can then apply to the Revenue Commissioners for reliefs for a qualifying vehicle. The level of allowable reliefs varies for a disabled driver and PMC holder/a disabled passenger and PMC holder; and according to the nature of adaptations made to the DDS qualifying vehicle. Application for motor tax exemption is made separately and a fuel grant payment is retrospectively payable 12 months after the first claim for DDS reliefs is made.
The Deputy should note that my Department and I share concerns that the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme or DDS is no longer fit-for-purpose and believe it should be replaced with a needs-based, grant-led approach for necessary vehicle adaptations that could serve to improve the functional mobility of the individual.
However, this is very much a matter for Government as whilst my Department has oversight of the DDS, I do not have responsibility for disability policy.
The Deputy should note that under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach, the sub-group convened to progress NDIS proposals for needs-based, grant-aided, modern vehicle adaptation supports to replace the DDS, generated a report that was submitted to the Department of the Taoiseach. In considering this report, it has been proposed that a new grant-based scheme be developed and led by the Department of Transport.
The Department of Transport is beginning the development of this new scheme. The existing DDS remains with the Department of Finance and will continue to be reviewed in the context of new scheme developments by the Department of Transport.
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