Vol. 550 No. 2
218 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Finance the reason the review of the disabled drivers and passengers regulations has taken almost four years to complete; the reason the report which was to be available within three months of the setting up of the group in April 1998 has not been published; and if it is intended to publish the report. [7791/02]
The interdepartmental review of the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme is ongoing. The group was set up in 1998 and is chaired by an official of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I understand the work of the group is at an advanced stage.
The work of the review group is complex. As part of its deliberations, the group has heard oral submissions over a period of five and a half days and has received over 260 written submissions from interested parties. While definitions of disability vary, I have been informed that there are up to 360,000 persons in Ireland who could be regarded as disabled to some degree or other. These include both persons with less severe medical conditions than those which are covered by the scheme and persons with medical conditions which are not covered by the scheme. The substantial tax benefits of the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' scheme make for considerable interest in and desire to be admitted to the scheme. Therefore, many factors have to be taken into account by the review group and many interests balanced. This work and analysis takes time. The report will be published once the deliberative process is fully completed.
