Vol. 553 No. 2
220 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Finance the situation in relation to the scheme of assistance to disabled drivers and disabled passengers; the data on the disabled passengers scheme; if specific medical conditions are covered; if it includes persons with an intellectual disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13372/02]
The medical criteria for the purposes of the tax concession under this scheme are set out in the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994, (S.I. No 353 of 1994), copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. Six different types of disablement are listed under the regulations and a qualifying person must satisfy one or more of them. The six types of disablement are as follows:
(a) persons who are wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs;
(b) persons who are wholly without the use of one of their legs and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that they are severely restricted as to movement of their lower limbs;
(c) persons without both hands or without both arms;
(d) persons without one or both legs;
(e) persons wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg;
(f) persons having the medical condition of dwarfism and who have serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
The total number of beneficiaries under the scheme is currently in the region of 7,500. The cost of the reliefs, excluding the annual road tax costs, in 2001 was approximately €30.5 million, compared to €5.1 million in 1994. The cost of the scheme, again excluding the annual road tax costs, is estimated to be in the region of €38 million in 2002. Beneficiaries, once qualified, are eligible for life. A review of the scheme by an interdepartmental review group which is chaired by an official from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is ongoing.
