Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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203. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the rationale given for mandating that disabled parking permits have a validity length of two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40280/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, I acknowledge that the two-year renewal requirement for the Disabled Parking Permit may be inconvenient for permit holders with permanent mobility impairment. Regular renewal, however, and the regular submission of an up-to-date photograph of the applicant, is an essential measure in tackling permit fraud.

While most permit holders are fully compliant with the scheme, it is important to maximise security and minimise opportunities for fraud and misuse. A defined validity period restricts the time for which a lost or stolen permit, or a permit for a person who is since deceased, can continue to be used.

An Garda Síochána, as part of Operation Enable since 2017, identified the latter as a particularly widespread problem, even within the current two-year limit. To extend the validity period would greatly expand the potential for this kind of fraud, which takes disabled parking bays away from those who need them and undermines the scheme as a whole.

In addition, the bodies responsible for issuing permits on the Department's behalf, the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland and the Irish Wheelchair Association, consistently stress the need to be able to keep track of who possesses a permit and to ensure that permits issued to people who have since died or have left the country are taken out of circulation as quickly as possible, either by notification or expiry.

For these reasons, my Department has no plans to extend the current validity period for disabled parking cards.