asked the Minister for Finance if he is yet in a position to state when he will introduce proposals for legislation to amend the Blind Persons Act.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. ORAL ANSWERS. - AMENDMENT OF BLIND PERSONS ACT.
I am not yet in a position to indicate a date for the introduction of legislation. Great difficulty has been experienced in framing provisions which would substantially meet the suggestion made by the Committee of Inquiry without either departing from the fundamental principle that the Act is to apply to blind persons or bringing in a much larger class of persons than the Committee appear to have had in mind. A way out is, however, still being sought.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, I want to ask the Minister whether he is aware that it is over two years since he promised to introduce this legislation, and is he further aware that great hardship has been inflicted upon a number of people as a result of that delay; and will the Minister, in view of the particular type of cases affected, see what he can do to expedite the matter?
I do not think there is much hardship, because the present provisions of the Act are being administered in the most favourable possible way. Applicants on the border-line or who are doubtful cases are being most sympathetically considered—I mean there are no provisions being so sympathetically administered. The great difficulty in this matter is that certain solutions which might otherwise be satisfactory would really land us into the principle of invalidity pensions, which would be a very big thing. The Deputy will realise that once we depart from a principle that is laid down in the Act, the drawing of the line is a difficult matter; the whole question has been the subject of discussion and consideration both by my Department and the Local Government Department since or almost since. After the promise was given there was a certain lapse during which it was not pursued, but for a considerable time past the matter has been considered between my Department and the Department of Local Government and Public Health.