Vol. 530 No. 5
124 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for Health and Children the proposed changes for people who are in receipt of mobility allowance and have also received vehicle registration tax and VAT refunds under the disabled drivers'-disabled passengers' scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4366/01]
The disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' – tax concessions – scheme which comes under the aegis of the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners enables qualifying persons to purchase a new car every two years free of Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT to a maximum of £7,500 if the qualifying person is a driver, and £12,500 if the qualifying person is a passenger. In addition, the scheme provides for the refund of excise duty on up to 600 gallons of fuel per year and for an exemption from annual road tax. It is estimated that the scheme cost some £22 million in 2000, excluding the annual road tax costs.
The mobility allowance, which is a monthly payment administered by the health boards, provides financial support to severely disabled people who are unable to walk or use public transport and is intended to enable them to benefit from a change in surroundings, for example, by financing the occasional taxi journey. The rate of the allowance is being doubled to a maximum of £90 per month from 1 April 2001, and from that date persons who benefit from the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme will be unable to also avail of the mobility allowance. It was on this basis that the Minister for Finance approved the increase in the mobility allowance payment from £45.60 to £90 per month.
By definition, the beneficiaries of the tax-based scheme already have access to transport, which is heavily subsidised by the State, and the object of the new arrangement is to target the increased mobility allowance at eligible people with disabilities who do not enjoy these advantages. I intend however to keep the situation under review and to consult with interested parties on the matter.
