Vol. 505 No. 3
165 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will review the regulations for the mobility allowance to ensure that a family with two wheelchair bound children can avail of this allowance to help with transport costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13659/99]
The mobility allowance is a means tested scheme that provides financial support to severely disabled people who are unable to walk or use public transport in order to finance the occasional taxi journey. To be eligible to receive this allowance applicants must satisfy the following conditions: be over 16 years and under 66 years; be living at home or maintained by a health board in any long-term institution; be unable to walk, even with the use of artificial limbs or other suitable aids, or must be in such a condition of health that the exertion required to walk would be dangerous; inability to walk has to be likely to persist for at least one year; moving of the applicant must not have been forbidden for medical reasons; and be in a condition to benefit from a change in surroundings.
At present there are no plans to amend the scheme. However this allowance, among others, is being considered by the interdepartmental task force examining the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. The task force is chaired by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
