The disabled drivers and disabled passengers tax concessions regulations, 1994, were drawn up by the Minister for Finance and come under the remit of the Revenue Commissioners. The Department of Health and Children has no statutory responsibility for the regulations or their operation.
To qualify, a person must meet one or more of the following medical criteria which are specified in the disabled drivers and disabled passengers tax concessions regulations, 1994, which are not set by the Department of Health and Children: the applicant is wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs; the applicant is wholly without the use of one leg and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that the applicant is severely restricted as to movement of the lower limbs; the applicant is without both hands or without both arms; the applicant is without one or both legs; the applicant is wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg; the applicant has the medical condition of dwarfism and has serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
The senior area medical officer for the relevant health board area will issue a primary medical certificate if he or she is satisfied that the applicant meets one or more of the above medical criteria. This role is to assist the operation of the Revenue scheme.
Information regarding the number of people in a particular health board who have the condition referred to by the Deputy or the number of people within that board with such a condition who have applied for or have been granted a primary medical certificate is not routinely collected by my Department. In the circumstances, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board to forward the relevant information to the Deputy directly as a matter of urgency, including information on whether a population study has been carried out in the board. The chief executive officer has also been asked to include information about the individual case referred to by the Deputy.
