Mobility and Transport Supports for People with Disabilities: Motion [Private Members]

Deputy Seán Canney

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

recognises that:

— Ireland is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which places an onus on signatories to "provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life";

— people with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives within our communities;

— people with disabilities need access to public and personal transport; and

— many people with disabilities are confined to home, unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or in their community, as they are unable to access Government support to help with their personal transport needs;

notes that:

— the recent Ombudsman Report entitled "Grounded - Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes", highlights the years of inaction by the Government to address supports for people with disabilities;

— the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme continues to reinforce the inequitable eligibility criteria in primary legislation and continues to exclude many people in need of access to supports for personal transport;

— since the discontinuation of the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant for new applicants in 2013, the Government has yet to provide a fair and equal replacement scheme;

— the Indecon research report entitled "The Cost of Disability in Ireland" estimates that households spend on average an additional €9,027 on items specifically relating to disability, special versions of products, and transport and mobility; and

— transport costs tend to be an extra living cost that people with disabilities are unable to afford; and

calls on the Government to:

— provide funding to finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme, to replace the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant, as a matter of priority;

— reinstate and amend the Primary Medical Certificate process which presently is not fit for purpose;

— address the issues in relation to the eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect;

— improve access to public transport for people with disabilities; and

— invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility, and inclusion for people with a disability.

I thank the Regional Group for its support and commitment in bringing forward this Private Members' motion, which, I understand, the Government is accepting. It is important to note that at the outset.

The important thing about this motion is to highlight the total disregard that successive Governments have had for people with disabilities and those who have been left without supports for transport. Ireland is a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which places an onus on the signatories to provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life. People with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives in our communities. They need access to public and personal transport. Many people with disabilities are confined to a home, unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or their community. They are unable to access Government support to help them with their personal transport needs.

It is important to reference the report of the Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, Grounded: Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes, which he published in November. The report states:

Many people with disabilities are stuck at home unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or in their community as they can’t access government support to help with their personal transport needs. This social isolation casts a shadow on us as a country and on our commitment to equality and social inclusion for all.

We are asking the Government to: provide funding to finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant schemes as a matter of urgent policy; reinstate and amend the primary medical certificate process which currently is not fit for purpose; address the issues relating to the eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect; improve access to public transport for people with disabilities; and invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility, and inclusion for people with a disability.

In his report, Peter Tyndall cited a number of case studies. I will read one of them. It states:

David has restricted movement and severe nerve damage on one side of his body. He also has special insoles for his shoes, and heel supports. He is significantly incapacitated from the pain. David has a Disabled Drivers Parking Permit. He said that an adapted car would help his mental health and mobility but he has been refused the Primary Medical Certificate.

The primary medical certificate is a key component in the life of people with disabilities, considering the fact that the Indecon report stated that the cost of living with a disability is between €9,000 and €12,000 per individual on top of their ordinary living costs. It is important that we look at this issue in a really humane way. The fact that successive governments have not addressed this issue is a shadow on politics. It is important that we get it right, and that we get it right now. There are people who are grounded, as Peter Tyndall has indicated. They cannot access their communities or go to work. We talk a great deal about employability for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, if they cannot leave their house, it is a very poor start. As the Minister of State is aware and as I stated last week, in a rural constituency like Galway East, public transport is not available for everybody. It is available in town centres and the services run from town to town. The answer that Government has been giving is that it will provide accessible public transport. I do not believe we can wait that long to help these people. We must act now. As a member of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, I implore the Minister of State to engage with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to get this project going again.

Deputy Noel Grealish

I wish to thank my colleagues for bringing this motion forward and I thank our administrator, Ms Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh, for the excellent research she did on it. There is an urgent need for improvements to the benefits available to people with disabilities who are holders of primary medical certificates under the disabled persons and disabled passengers scheme. Primary medical certificates are issued to people who have a severe and permanent disability which generally restricts their movements. Most need a wheelchair to get around. Up to now, holders of such certificates could qualify for an exemption from VAT and vehicle registration tax, VRT, when buying cars that are accessible or adaptable for wheelchair use. These exemptions have substantially reduced the ultimate cost to the buyer, who is typically a wheelchair user or a carer of a wheelchair user, including parents of children with serious disabilities. These are people who already have to cope with huge expenses associated with a disability. Most adapted vehicles are equipped with a ramp that enables a wheelchair or a mobile scooter to get into the car. The floor of the vehicle may have been lowered to allow significant head height.

There is a crisis looming for these people, however, because the manufacturers who make the cars that are wheelchair adaptable are switching over to making only electric vehicles. This is a problem that is looming large now, not just something that is going to arise as we approach 2030, the year by which sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned. While electric vehicles up to a certain value are exempt from VRT, they are way more expensive than the diesel or petrol models that have been used by these families and individuals up to now. We are talking about an increased cost of perhaps €10,000 to €20,000 that they will face just to make it possible to do basic things like get to work, go to the shops, bring a child to school or to attend medical appointments. Earlier this month, the Minister for Transport announced a €15 million scheme that will offer taxi drivers up to €25,000 to switch to electric vehicles, including a grant to make them wheelchair-accessible. That is something that taxi drivers will no doubt be very happy with, helping them to make what would otherwise be an expensive transition to electric-powered vehicles. The families and individuals that I am talking about need to be helped in exactly the same way. That is why I am urging the Government to offer holders of primary medical certificates the same kind of financial assistance as the taxi drivers. As I mentioned earlier, they already face mounting expenses that people without a disability do not incur. Most people simply could not afford to pay the huge jump in costs involved in buying an electric car. In light of this and in addition to being exempt from VAT, they should also be given a financial grant that would bridge the difference between the cost of buying a wheelchair-adaptable diesel or petrol car and the new increased cost of buying an electric car.

The programme for Government published by the coalition parties in June 2020 contains a commitment to making a difference that will make things better for people with a disability in this country. It stressed the need to improve the services available and promised to empower and give those with a disability the ability to choose the supports that most meet their needs. One of the most basic needs of a person with a disability, or their carers, is the ability to access transport that is suitable to their needs and which enables them to live their best life. To do that, in the years to come they must be given additional financial assistance that will enable them to continue to buy the wheelchair-accessible vehicles that they absolutely need.

I thank the Government for accepting our motion. I again thank my colleagues for bringing the motion before the Dáil and Ms Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh for the excellent work she did on it.

Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate and I thank my fellow members of the Regional Group for bringing this motion. As has already been stated, those in households that are in the challenging position of requiring transport methods that need to be adapted for disability purposes spend, on average, €9,027 on items relating to that disability. These items include, but are not limited to, disability-specific items and unique versions of products specially adapted for use by people with disability challenges, particularly in respect of specially adapted motor vehicles.

The bottom line is that, unfortunately, transport costs tend to be just an additional cost of living that people with disabilities simply cannot afford. This situation is only getting worse now as all other daily living costs, like light and heat and power, are getting more expensive almost weekly.

My view is that everyone, including those with disabilities, should be given the opportunity to lead full and active lives in their communities. Clearly, people with disabilities need to have access to affordable public and personal transport in order to lead fully inclusive lives. It is also clear that most people with disability challenges are unable to access Government supports for their personal transport needs. When they are unable to access these supports, it is unfortunately the case that many become confined to their homes and, as a result, are unable to engage equally in employment or get involved in their community in ways they would like. This is wrong and must be addressed. The Government must step up and offer the support and assistance that are badly needed.

This is why the Regional Group is calling on the Government to take the following actions: provide the necessary funding to urgently finalise and introduce a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant; reinstate and amend the primary medical certificate process, which is not fit for purpose; address issues concerning eligibility criteria for the schemes with immediate effect; and improve access to public transport for people with disabilities and invest in transport infrastructure that considers and supports accessibility, mobility and inclusion for people with disabilities.

We are also calling on the Government to take immediate action because of several issues. These include the fact that the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme continues to reinforce the inequitable eligibility criteria in primary legislation, excluding many people in need of access to supports for personal transport. On this point, I have dealt with constituents in Louth who have attempted to apply to these schemes. The bottom line is that it is nearly impossible to get approval. There is no consistency in the approach taken. Since the discontinuation of the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant for new applicants in 2013, the Government has yet to introduce a fair and equal replacement scheme. This is wrong and must be addressed immediately.

The recent report by the Ombudsman, Grounded: Unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes, highlights the years of inaction on the part of the Government in failing to address supports for people with disabilities. In tabling this motion, the Regional Group is seeking to highlight many issues faced by people with disabilities when it comes to transport. It should also be noted that Ireland, as a signatory to the UNCRPD has a responsibility to provide equal access to transportation to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and to participate fully in all aspects of life. As a society, we must ensure that all people with disabilities should be able to lead full and active lives within our communities and that they also have full access to public and personal transport. We cannot have a situation whereby people with disabilities are confined to their homes and unable to engage equally in employment or in their community because they are unable to access Government supports to assist with their personal transport needs.

Once more, I thank my colleagues in the Regional Group for their help and assistance with bringing this motion to the House. I ask all Deputies to support this motion and to recognise that there are, unfortunately, people with disabilities who are being confined to their homes simply because they are unable to access Government supports. In this day and age, this is wrong. In fact, it is morally wrong. People with disabilities should be able to live full and active lives, and if that means having to access Government support to enjoy an active life, then we must ensure there are no barriers excluding them from doing so.

Deputy Peadar Tóibín

Gabhaim buíochas leis an nGrúpa Réigiúnach agus Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh as an obair a chuaigh isteach sa rún seo. Aontaím go huile is go hiomlán leis. Is rún iontach láidir é agus le cúnamh Dé beidh gach páirtí sásta tacaíocht a thabhairt dó. I am grateful to the Regional Group for tabling this strong motion. I am also grateful that this subject is being debated by all parties here because this concerns an important aspect of inclusion. Ireland today wears the clothes of inclusion. Indeed, it flies the flag of inclusion. The reality for many people throughout the country, however, is radically different from the superficial clothes worn. Sadly, phenomenal barriers remain in contemporary Ireland which prevent people from being included and engaged in society.

For example, in recent months I have seen several schools where children with certain disabilities have not been not allowed to attend for full days because of those disabilities. I know of people with disabilities who have been on social housing waiting lists for more than a decade in certain counties. The level of homelessness among people with disabilities is higher than in the general population. During the Covid-19 restrictions, we have seen a serious impact on the education and development of people with disabilities. Some 74% of childcare providers have confessed to seeing regression in children with special needs and disabilities. Even in a special needs school in my constituency, I have seen where the lack of investment has left a situation where there are rats and holes in the walls. That is the case after that school has been trying to get funding for years.

We have an unequal society and one with barriers. For all the inclusion colours we proclaim, sections of our society are significantly excluded. I worked on making vehicles accessible for people with disabilities for many years. It was one of my first jobs when I came out of college. I worked with hundreds of people with disabilities to get them private transportation to enable them to drive themselves or be driven by their families. I have seen at first-hand the radical difference such provision makes in people's lives. It is important to say that these are people with great skills, knowledge and abilities in many ways and, potentially, with great contributions to make to society. It is important to say that our society is far poorer for not being able to allow the full integration of these people. I have also seen a barrier in situations where this transportation ability is taken from families. I have witnessed the impact that has on the people with the disabilities and on their families, in respect of not being able to grow in levels of skills and confidence and engagement. Therefore, there is a major impact if we do not ensure that people simply have the human right to travel around society.

This is the area where the frustration exists. We had a system before austerity where people could apply for funding to ensure they had access to transportation. The current system is one that was reduced and it is not fit for purpose. The average household in this situation spends about €9,027 on items explicitly concerning disability. This is a phenomenal expense in respect of just surviving, existing and living for many families. Transport costs especially are a significant and recurring cost for these households. If we do not provide a guarantee of funding for families to ensure they can access transportation properly, then we are, effectively, excluding people from society. The knock-on effects of that are great on personal growth and development and on the general ability of people to be able to live a full life in a republic.

That is what we are after all. We are a republic, where everybody should be equal and should be equally able to reach their full potential and participate in society as much as possible. I call on the Government to go back to the drawing board in respect of ensuring that the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant schemes, which were sealed off previously, are reopened to new entrants in future. There should be a direct funding stream for families to enable them to travel to locations by providing vehicles accessible to people with disabilities to allow them to start living their lives again and fully engage in society. They should be able to do that in a manner which does not penalise them through the costs incurred.

I know many young people with disabilities, and they become so reliant on their parents to bring them everywhere.

That hampers their development of independence and their ability to grow as individual, independent human beings. We should be able to guarantee every individual in society the ability to engage completely independently. I urge the Government to get to grips with this issue, because we cannot allow it to persist further.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

Today’s motion relates to the important issue of improving transport options for people with disabilities. I thank the Regional Group for giving me the platform to speak about what is going on in my Department with regard to this matter. We have to recognise that there are transport challenges for people with disabilities, which I and my Government colleagues are addressing. I acknowledge the Ombudsman’s recent report from November 2021 and the resignation of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal in January, which clearly indicate that we have work to do in relation to the provision of adequate transport supports for people with disabilities. The Government recognises the need to develop support structures that are open, accessible and that meet the complex and varied needs of people with disabilities.

There is a complexity to the issues involved that requires a considered response, especially given the diversity of the needs of people with disabilities. We must clearly identify the gaps and avoid jumping into hasty solutions which may not be sustainable or adequate in the long term. We must instead ensure that we are creating properly tailored and properly targeted supports. The Government’s national disability inclusion strategy, NDIS, contains clear commitments and actions related to accessible transport options and mobility supports for people with disabilities. Successful delivery of the NDIS is a priority for me and for the Government, including in the context of our commitments to review and take action on transport supports.

The motion raises a number of critical issues. We are addressing these through the NDIS, which I chair, and specifically through the transport working group, which I also chair. Although it is not in the script, it is important for me to say that I am a rural Deputy. I understand this. Many constituents come to me regularly about it. I knew about it long before I became a Deputy or a Minister of State. This has been a priority for me since I first came into office. I asked about transport and the Department told me that the Department of Health does not look after transport. I pulled out the HSE open routes model. In the last weeks, I have managed to reconfigure the transport committee, and I am chairing it.

The transport working group is focused on achieving action 104 of the NDIS, which commits us to leading a review of transport supports and to develop proposals for a co-ordinated plan for such provision. This plan is to make the most efficient use of available transport resources. The working group met last month on 26 January. Following engagement last year between the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O’Gorman, it was decided to use the transport working group to assist in the review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. People who sit on that group include stakeholders and people from the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Social Protection, Health, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Transport. All the key stakeholders are sitting at the table. This is the first time in a number of years where we have gone back around the table and put transport at the centre of the table to find the solutions that Deputy Tóibín talks about. They are a priority.

One of the topics discussed at that meeting was the need to take stock of the current and past provision of transport supports in order to make an informed decision on what future action is required. In that regard, I asked Department representatives to present on the transport support schemes that they are responsible for, and I heard views and concerns from the stakeholders present. It was an informative discussion with diverse views. It is clear that a variety of measures and supports exist across Government and that we must make sure that action is co-ordinated across the system and addresses real needs. There is no point in the Department of Finance saying one thing and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth coming up with something else which is not funded. We need to establish the solutions to address the matters raised in the motion this morning. Most importantly, as the UNCRPD requires, disability stakeholders form part of this group and the contribution of members of the NDIS disability stakeholder group and the wider disability stakeholders present in January has been extremely valuable.

It is worth noting that the motion identifies the mobility allowance, the motorised transport grant, and the primary medical certificate process, which it states need to be reviewed. As the Deputies know, these schemes are being reviewed by the Departments responsible. An opportunity like this has been somewhat underutilised by the Deputies as it offers no suggestions beyond reviewing the current schemes. There are no new suggestions. The opportunity for innovation by the Deputies in how we approach these transport supports has been missed. We are all aware of the importance and benefit of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme, which is run by the Department of Finance. I am also aware of the criticism expressed about access to the scheme and the entry criteria for primary medical certificates. We all know that the entry criteria are out of date. For example, people who are blind, have Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis cannot access it. Once people show any form of mobility at all, they cannot access the scheme. We all know that it is not fit for purpose and needs to be reviewed in its entirety to address the matters of inclusion and participation in education and work. Action 104 just talks about opportunities to participate in employment. There is more to life than just work. That is a huge part of it, but there is also the matter of getting to education and being able to socialise. Whether people are living in Portumna or in Dublin 6, they should have the same opportunities.

The Minister for Finance is aware of these issues and committed to a comprehensive review of the scheme. The transport working group will play a strong role in supporting the Department of Finance in this and in ensuring that the next steps make sense across the system. Historically, two additional schemes, the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant, were operated by the HSE at a time when there was limited availability of accessible public transport options. The Government decided to close these administrative schemes in 2013 on foot of the reports of the Ombudsman in 2011 and 2012 regarding the legal status of both schemes in the context of the Equal Status Act. I am leading work looking at how these schemes can be redeveloped to ensure people are supported adequately.

I also want to set out the range of work currently in train to improve access to transport. We have ongoing work on accessible public transport being led by the Minister for Transport, in partnership with the National Transport Authority, some of which is focused specifically on rural challenges. We have the disability entitlement to the free travel scheme, administered by the Minister for Social Protection, the criteria for which were recently reviewed to be more open. We have CLÁR funding from the Minister for Rural and Community Development, delivering transport supports for rural areas. The task that Government has set itself over the coming months is to identify where needs are not being addressed and to see how to respond to these needs. That is my focus in leading the transport working group and that is the programme of work that lies before us.

I will call on all Departments and agencies with a role in this area to participate in that review and to help us assemble the evidence base we need to make informed choices. Through this working group, we have a real opportunity to deliver schemes fit for purpose in today’s world. That is why the Government is not opposing this motion, but also why I am saying that we need the time to formulate the right suite of measures. We know that there are transport challenges for people with disabilities in this country. In my role as Minister of State, I am determined to work actively to address those challenges, conscious of the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities get the opportunity to participate fully in society.

I referred to the HSE open routes model. We have seen that successfully used in Kerry and Leitrim. Bernard O'Regan from the HSE is leading that. I also looked at the group called Accessible Community Transport Southside, ACTS, based in Dublin. I am sure that Deputy Ward would be aware of it. It covers community healthcare organisations, CHOs, 6, 7 and 9. Depending on one's CHO, there may be no barriers. We need to take the lesson from this group, based on Dublin's southside. That is a model for integration. When people wish to go out on a Friday or Saturday evening to have a pint or go to the cinema, they can book this service.

At the moment, it is not adequately funded. I will hold my hands up and say that. More investment is needed. That is a model of rural link in an urban setting that we need to consider in terms of how to create that level of engagement. Gone are the days when we need a bus just for day services. We need to have buses to ensure that people can participate equally in society, day or night. I am very conscious of the massive impact of not having access to transport. On what the Ombudsman said, people are grounded. I am trying to unlock that to ensure that people can participate equally at all levels. I again thank the Deputies for bringing forward this motion.

Deputy Cathal Berry

I thank the Minister of State for her detailed opening statement. I am again grateful for the opportunity to speak on the topic of disability in the Chamber. People from that group are physically under-represented in Leinster House. It is important that they are not under-represented from an advocacy point of view. That is why I am delighted to be here with my Regional Group colleagues to do our bit in that regard.

We all appreciate that disability matters are broad and multifaceted and, at times, can be quite complex. The beauty of the motion before the House is that it focuses on one particular facet, namely, transport. That said, transport is not just about wheels or moving from A to B. Rather, it is a fundamental enabler and allows people to have the independence and autonomy they need to go about their daily lives and make a meaningful contribution to society, whether that is socially or from an employment point of view.

The motion will not change the world, but it can completely transform the lives of many people. It is exactly what we should be doing in our Parliament, namely, making minor adjustments which will have significant positive impact outside of the parliamentary precinct. That is why I am very glad to be here today. I very much welcome the acceptance of the motion by the Government, which makes perfect sense to me.

The Minister of State referenced the Ombudsman's report from November of last year, which is an excellent report and just 24 pages long. Mr. Peter Tyndall is a straight shooter and calls it as he sees it. He identified three major areas for improvement. In fairness, there are criticisms in the report but there are also observations. Mr. Tyndall offers some practical solutions.

The issues he identified are public transport, issues with personal transport and access to the primary medical certificate, which is very important. I come from a commuter constituency, Kildare South, and totally identify with what he said about public transport issues. Some of the comments in the report state that people with disabilities find it difficult to get on trains, many elevators were broken and that there was no access to toilets, as well as a litany of other indignities they had to face on a daily basis, which is completely unnecessary. I accept and welcome the Government's commitment to public transport.

Much funding is currently being pumped into public transport in terms of green energy, hydrogen buses, new trains, etc. However, we should not forget the basics. We can talk about the sexy, glamorous and cool stuff, but we need to remember the basics. The basics include ensuring every person in society has equal access to public transport. They should be able to alight safely from a train, bus or whatever.

The second issue relates to personal transport, which is something we can focus on between now and the budget. We do not require any planning permission or tradespeople to build a new platform. We just need to give people access to the appropriate funding they need. The budget in October is a good way to do that because people with disabilities do not need a whole lot. They just need access to funds because the cost of living is, quite rightly, a very topical issue at the moment for able-bodied people. It is even more important for disabled people because they incur greater expenses. On the income side, they are more likely to be employed at a lower salary, if they are gainfully employed at all. They face a double whammy on both sides.

I accept what my colleagues said about 2013 when the mobility allowance was closed to new entrants. The same happened with the motorised transport grant. I echo the call for a more comprehensive transport support scheme, which is important.

Regarding eligibility criteria for the primary medical certificates, because the two schemes I mentioned have been cancelled tax rebates and reliefs are even more important. The Minister of State said we should put forward some constructive views and I am very happy to do so. The primary medical certificate, of which I have some experience, is medicalised box ticking. We need to replace that with an overarching mobility point of view. We would have much better results and access if a more general perspective was taken.

I am very grateful that the Government has accepted the motion. The Regional Group will not be found wanting in any support it can provide from a budgeting or resource point of view. I do not think the disabled community are looking for anything in particular. They are not looking for preferential treatment or special treatment; rather, they are just looking for a fair deal. We should be prepared to give them exactly that.

Deputy Michael Lowry

According to the last census, there are 650,000 people in Ireland with some form of disability. In Ireland, under the Disability Act the term disability is defined as "a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason of ... impairment". Denying or making it difficult for a person with a disability to access transport with ease, whether personal or public transport, increases the restrictions already placed on that person by his or her personal circumstances. By failing to ensure that suitable means of transport are provided to meet the needs of disabled people we are depriving them of the right to live their best lives. We are subjecting them to a life that able-bodied people would not tolerate.

Under the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities, the key aim was to ensure that people with disabilities who are able and want to work are supported and enabled to do so. Much has been written and spoken about equality in the workplace. However, very little has been said about how disabled people face innumerable challenges in getting to and from their place of work. This is just one of the many hidden discriminations that disabled people face.

An able-bodied person is seldom, if ever, asked how he or she will navigate a work journey during a job interview. Therefore, it may be deemed inappropriate to ask a disabled person the same question. Yet, that could be the issue that is on the mind of an employer. It could be that an employer is concerned that a disabled person may be absent from work due to transport circumstances beyond his or her control.

Disabled people who rely on public transport face countless issues. The first and most obvious is that in Tipperary and across rural Ireland there are limited public transport options available. I am aware of wheelchair users who need to be physically lifted onto buses and trains while their chair is stored away. This could be their dilemma twice a day, which is, in effect, a double assault on their dignity.

While some transport companies have introduced qualification to a number of their vehicles, they argue that the costs are prohibitive and that the changes would only benefit a small number of people. Therefore, a small number of people are cast aside. This is not the only problem faced by disabled people who rely on public transport. Information signs and timetables, if they exist, are usually above the line of vision of a wheelchair user. There is zero access to audio, video or Braille information. Again, a number of people are cast aside.

Disabled people who rely solely on public transport may envy those who drive themselves. A converted car obtained through the mobility grant scheme can be a lifeline and provide a person with independence and greater freedom of movement. Aside from the issues most people are aware of, such as limited parking availability, one of the more recent obstacles facing disabled motorists is electric vehicle charging accessibility, something that has been completely overlooked. At the current time, there are just four wheelchair accessible ESB electrical chargers in this country. The aim is to have a total of 50 multi electric charging sites in place by 2023. That is 50 places overall in Ireland where more than 600,000 disabled people will be able to charge their cars. Yet again, a small number of people are being cast aside. A lack of Government support should not be among the list of reasons disabled people in this country are disadvantaged. Funding is required now to finalise and swiftly introduce a comprehensive and inclusive transport scheme.

Finally, the primary medical certificate needs to be updated and amended as a matter of urgency.

The application of the primary medical certificate is a disgraceful shambles. Through my constituency office in Tipperary I am aware of several people being disallowed access to the scheme. This is appalling treatment of people in genuine need. The rules governing the scheme are outrageously stringent. The current scheme appears to be designed deliberately to reduce the number of successful applications. This question of restricted eligibility, and the obvious curtailment, led to the resignation of the disabled drivers appeals board.

Public transport, by virtue of its name, must be user-friendly for all users. Only then will all people be included and none will be left feeling cast aside. I welcome that the Government is not opposing the motion and is accepting its tenor. It is vital the Government follows this with positive action and tangible improvements. The time for talking and speaking about empathy has long passed and it is now time for immediate action.

Deputy Pauline Tully

I commend the Regional Group on raising this important matter, taking in the primary medical certificates and the lack of personalised transport supports for people with disabilities. It is something that is discussed regularly at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters meetings, and it is also raised at practically every meeting I attend with disabled people or their representative organisations. People with disabilities should be able to live full and active lives within their communities but many obstacles remain that work to prevent them doing so, and access to personal transport is one of them.

Improving access to public transport is important in its own right, but it is unreasonable to suggest it can address the transport needs of many disabled people who may live in rural areas or struggle to get to bus stops or stations. Many disabled people have told me it is impossible to get a wheelchair-accessible taxi when they order one as the HSE seems to have contracted many of them for its own use. I am interested in the scheme referenced by the Minister of State in the CHO areas in Dublin and that is something that could be rolled out to other areas as well. Without access to personal transport, many disabled people cannot do what others take for granted, including working, visiting family and friends, shopping or any other aspect of life where mobility is essential.

In a report before Christmas entitled Grounded - Unequal Access for People with Disabilities to Personal Transport Schemes, the Ombudsman focused attention on the fact that personal transport supports for people with disabilities are inadequate, unfair and inequitable. The report points out that in 2013 the Government decided to discontinue both the mobility allowance and the motorised grant to new applicants. At that time, it was said that an alternative scheme would be drawn up but we are nine years on and no alternative has been put in place.

The report also indicates that the remaining supports available for people living with a disability comprise the disabled driver and disabled passenger scheme, which provides a range of tax reliefs linked to the purchase and use of specially constructed or adapted vehicles by drivers and passengers with a disability. However, it goes on to highlight that the scheme is inadequate to meet the needs of many people living with a disability as the limited medical criteria for eligibility are excessively restrictive. Moreover, a recommendation that the Department of Finance would introduce legislation to replace the existing medical criteria with an overall assessment of general mobility was never acted on. It is shameful that in 2022 disabled people are still not able to participate equally and actively in their community and work.

It recently emerged that the entire appeals board of the scheme resigned after expressing concern about how the scheme was being handled and amid ongoing concerns it is too difficult to obtain a primary medical certificate. I am not surprised. In looking at the figures, from 401 appeals assessed in 2017, only 12 were successful. In 2018, there were 20 successful appeals from 386 and in 2019, there were nine successful appeals from 424. In 2020 there were four successful appeals from 116, and that was the year the scheme was suspended for much of the year.

These matters have been raised repeatedly with the Government and the Minister for Finance is totally failing in demonstrating leadership here. The people with disabilities are paying the price. Many disabled people are effectively being denied the ability to travel due to the stringent criteria for obtaining a primary medical certificate. This is denying disabled people their rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, to live fully independent lives. This can have a major impact on personal lives if people are unable or less able to live independently, socialise and work without these vital supports.

Over the past 18 months we have seen a litany of failure in how the scheme has been handled by the Department of Finance and this must change. There was a Supreme Court ruling in June 2020 that overturned the board's decision to deny two families a primary medical certificate. This ruling led to the suspension of the scheme, which was reopened in January 2021 after an amendment in a finance Bill. This was supposed to be an interim measure and a review of the scheme was promised by the Minister for Finance in January 2021, to be carried out within the year. It was never delivered and in recent media comments, the Department of Finance confirmed it had not carried out the review committed to by the Minister. We are now 20 months after that Supreme Court ruling.

The Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, should answer questions about his total failure in how this scheme is being handled. There is a direct breach of the provisions of the UNCRPD, which this country ratified in 2018 but is some way off implementing. I do not feel there is any sense of urgency in addressing the matter of personal transport options for the affected people. The transport working group established two years ago seems to have done very little as part of the national disability inclusion strategy. Perhaps it is another victim of Covid-19 but maybe that is another excuse to delay the process. An immediate review of these schemes is required, with input from disabled persons or organisations and other relevant stakeholders. It must include detailed actions to widen eligibility for the scheme and improve administration.

Deputy Mark Ward

At the end of the Minister of State's contribution, she mentioned people with multiple sclerosis, MS, who would not be able to access the primary medical certificate because they have some form of mobility. I have MS but am lucky enough to have full mobility. I know people with disabilities facing challenges that are not physically seen. I know some of these as challenges that I have had to face over the years, and many people with MS or other neurological conditions must face them on a daily basis as well.

I spoke with representatives of the MS society this week and they asked me to direct a question to the Minister for Finance. They want to ensure that people living with MS and other conditions who want to appeal a decision on an application to the disabled driver and passenger scheme can expect the appeals committee to be in place and the processing of appeals to be resumed.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

My understanding is the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has sent the names to be put on the board. We are just waiting for that approval now.

Deputy Mark Ward

If that process is imminent, it is welcome news. All the people with MS may not have mobility issues but they may have other problems and are being excluded from the scheme. Any assistance is welcome in that regard.

The Minister of State mentioned the assistance scheme in CHO 7, which is a good scheme but it should be fully resourced. It goes so far but it is not far enough. It is like the old 78A around my area, which would go part of the route but not the full route. If the scheme could be fully resourced, it would be appreciated.

Many disabled people are effectively being denied the ability to travel because of stringent criteria applied in obtaining the primary medical certificate. Backlogs in processing the primary medical certificates have created further delays, although the Minister of State has indicated a change is imminent in that regard. Disabled people face many barriers in their lives and at the very least they should have the ability to travel. A lack of opportunity to use transport can be devastating for a person's ability to work, socialise, complete everyday tasks and enable them to live full and independent lives. At yesterday's committee meeting we heard directly from people with disabilities who felt they were ignored in the decision-making process. They have said there should be nothing decided about them without their input. I am sure the Minister of State has heard that many times.

Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

The primary medical certificate is so important for people's independence and dignity. It is really extraordinary that a board resigned because of how its members felt this process was being neglected. I appreciate what the Minister of State has said but these people took this action in the first place because they clearly felt so frustrated by the lack of progress being made and how the issue was being neglected by the Government. They did not do it for the sake of publicity because it only came to light afterwards, so they clearly felt the matter was not being progressed or taken seriously. I hope this can be resolved. The Minister of State indicates the board will be reappointed and I look forward to seeing that. There are so many other issues that nevertheless remain to be resolved.

The first of these is how stringent are the criteria for the scheme. This has been well articulated, including by Deputy Ward, who spoke about those affected by multiple sclerosis. Fibromyalgia is another condition affecting the people in question. I recently spoke to the Minister for Health about a constituent of mine who was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma.

She needs to adapt her car to maintain her independence, but she does not qualify for the primary medical certificate because she only has one arm amputated rather than both arms. That is absurd and disgusting. People in that situation face other challenges as well. The cost of prosthetics is not covered by the State. However, it is unacceptable that it is so stringent and that people who have serious impediments to being able to drive are not supported adequately. There are other schemes that are just unaffordable for them. This has a major impact on people's ability to socialise, live their lives, access education and work. It is unacceptable.

The other issue is the appeals and the fact that the waiting times for appeals are far too lengthy. In Cork, the waiting time for applications, even within the strict criteria that exist, is several months and it is between seven and eight months for appeals. That is holding people back from being able to live their lives. Much of this comes back to the fact that parity of esteem has not been shown. There is no respect for the needs of people with disabilities, particularly in this regard. It is seen almost as a luxury rather than the necessity it definitely is. That must change.

Deputy Pat Buckley

I listened to the Minister of State's statement in which she spoke about root and branch change. Certainly, that must happen. When I was listening to the other speakers the question of the definition of disability and how we describe it came into my head. It is quite a pertinent question. We have mentioned many other issues people have that do not fall under its remit at present. It is very worrying.

It also requires the involvement of all stakeholders. That goes back to my opening remark about root and branch change. I recall a number of years ago when I was on the town council. We involved all the stakeholders, including the Irish Wheelchair Association and so forth, to try to come up with a popular plan for public transport in the area. What evolved was that the town council at the time won a European mobility award because it took all the concerns on board for things such as easy access and crossing roads, the stuff able-bodied people take for granted. We need a rapid change on this.

I thank the Regional Group for bringing this motion before the House because there is also the mental, not to mind the social, impact that affects people. In raising this and addressing it we should try not to label people with a disability because they automatically seem to be disadvantaged in this country when they should be getting far more supports. I call for support of this motion and I congratulate the rest of the speakers.

Deputy Patricia Ryan

I thank the Members of the Regional Group for bringing this motion forward. Alarm bells have been ringing since the entire board of the disabled drivers medical board of appeal resigned last October, concerned that a large number of drivers applying for tax reliefs were being turned down. On average, less than 5% of appeals for primary medical certificates, which are necessary to apply for the scheme, are successful. For years Sinn Féin and other representatives have raised the problems with the disabled drivers and passengers scheme with the Minister for Finance. These include the rejection of applicants for the primary medical certificate, delays in decision making and qualifying criteria that exclude those with disabilities.

In June 2020, and Deputy Tully referred to this as well, the families of two children with disabilities won a Supreme Court appeal against the board for refusing them access to the scheme. The court noted that the problem is with the under-inclusive nature of the legislation. The scheme was then temporarily suspended before again taking assessments in January 2021. It is clear that the Minister failed to respond to repeated criticisms of the scheme. Ireland is in breach of its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by not addressing the problem.

I urge the Minister and the Government to read the Ombudsman's statement to the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. Mr. Tyndall delivered a damning indictment of the current scheme. He said: "There is no doubt in my mind that these criteria are excessively restrictive and that the administration of this scheme has resulted in people who do not meet the criteria, but who are just as immobile as those who do, being excluded from the scheme". Since 2016 the Ombudsman has received 335 complaints about the criteria. That represents 335 individuals who are desperately trying to purchase or adapt a car for their use or the use of a family member. A 2002 report on the scheme to the Minister for Finance recommended that the medical criteria should be based on lack of mobility as opposed to medical criteria. This problem has been allowed to fester for more than 20 years and must be addressed immediately.

Deputy Berry spoke about toilets and platforms in train stations in County Kildare. I am inundated with complaints about Newbridge train station, where there are no toilets open for anybody.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh

I thank the Regional Group for bringing this important motion before the Dáil. I know that the Minister of State understands this, but there are absolutely no excuses for the lack of transport or the lack of help with transport in rural areas. I come from Belmullet. It is a six-hour round trip to get to a hospital appointment in Galway. We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis and the fact is that people with disabilities do not have the money to be able to go to their hospital appointments. There is a backlog in Galway hospital and other hospitals where there are consultants waiting to see people but people are in a dilemma because they cannot afford to get to the hospital appointment.

One way of helping them with affordability is the mobility allowance. It was absolutely cruel to cut the mobility allowance. It was done by Fine Gael, aided by the Labour Party and supported by Fianna Fáil in the confidence and supply arrangement.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

We were not in the confidence and supply arrangement at that time.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh

They did it on their own. Fair play to them, and I take that back.

However, it is so serious. People can get on a train or a bus to get to where they need to be, but think of somebody with a disability living in Blacksod trying to get to Galway. Do not forget we privatised and centralised everything because we thought that was a good idea without ever thinking about what transport links there would be for people. It is the people who are most marginalised and who are on the lowest incomes who cannot get to where they need to go. We created this social and economic exclusion and we must take ownership of it. This did not happen by design. It is absolutely disgusting.

When are we going to get past the review stage? Everything is always being reviewed and looked at. That is no good to the person waiting in Mayo today for his or her hospital appointment or waiting to be able to travel to where he or she needs to go because of affordability and the lack of rural transport. Then we decide it is a great idea to put a carbon tax on top of that, just in case people are not suffering enough. If somebody with a disability who is on disability allowance wants to get to a hospital appointment, he or she has to forfeit the entire disability payment to be able to get to that appointment. What is the person supposed to eat for the rest of the week? How is the person supposed to heat his or her home for the rest of the week? This has to be prioritised. I ask the Minister of State to prioritise transport for people with disabilities and people living in rural areas.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and I thank the Regional Group for bringing it forward. It is a motion about inclusion and ensuring the right to mobility and the associated independence for people with disabilities, and ensuring that people with disabilities can live full and active lives in our communities. The motion is welcome and necessary, and it should be supported. Government policy under successive governments has failed to deliver. It has failed people with disabilities and impeded them.

At a recent meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, we heard from representatives of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland, the Irish Wheelchair Association and Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind about the forthcoming road traffic Bill and about broader issues relating to access to transport. The witnesses spoke about the importance of the primary medical certificate. They pointed to the fact that the mobility allowance and the transport grant were stopped nearly a decade ago and have not returned. They pointed to the broad suite of issues that continue to impede. On the primary medical certificate they said: "A review is required of the primary medical certificate. It is as simple as that. The sooner it can get under way, the better."

They also argued that the certificate should be extended to include people with intellectual disabilities or autism, people who in the severe category will definitely never hold independent employment. They said: "They definitely need preferential parking for ease of access for their carers and themselves". Similarly, they pointed to the fact that blindness is not regarded as a qualifying criterion for the primary medical certificate, so a review of that is required.

In addition, they pointed to the cases of people who are too visually impaired to drive but are not registered as blind and, as a result, are excluded from free travel. That speaks to the failure of Government policy to respond to the needs of people with disabilities. There are hundreds of people in this category but, like for so many people with a disability, the computer says "No". There is no accommodation, understanding or common sense in the current systems and, as a result, people are excluded, disadvantaged and isolated.

The primary medical certificate is only one aspect of this issue. We need to replace the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant. We need universal design of buses, trains, taxis and associated infrastructure. We need public transport in the right place and at the right time that is accessible, available and affordable. The same goes for streetscapes. We need a full suite of supports to empower people and ensure they can travel independently. It should not be an afterthought, as it is, at best, in many cases currently. Rather, it should be built into everything we do - literally and figuratively.

Deputy Duncan Smith

Like the previous speakers, the Labour Party welcomes the motion, which focuses on people with disabilities and support for them in the area of transport. As the previous speaker, an Teachta O'Rourke, stated, this has been an area of focus for us on the transport committee in the past 18 months. As was mentioned, representatives of the Irish Wheelchair Association and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland recently appeared before the committee to give first-hand accounts of the barriers, difficulties and everyday obstacles their members and service users face in going about their daily lives.

Last week on Second Stage of the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022, which is a technical Bill on changing the reporting duties of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who is present, to the Minister for Justice, we discussed how to disability-proof our entire policy-making in every area. That is a massive responsibility for the Minister and the Government. In the area of transport, we need to replace the mobility aids and mobility transport schemes that were cut in 2013, but we also need to look at investing in the public transport system and making sure it is truly disability-proofed.

Electric buses are currently being rolled out in Dublin. Hydrogen buses are being trialled. These are all very positive moves in the context of climate action, but there are still wheelchair users who, no matter what way the buses are powered, cannot get on them. They are still excluded. I am working with a really good activist who has been engaging with Dublin Bus and other transport providers on that very issue. Climate action is vital. It is a pillar of every decision we need to make but equally important is true access. In the context of trains, it is about ensuring that there are level access platforms rather than people having to ring ahead to ensure there is someone there to help them on or off the train. We need lifts that actually work so that people do not have to go past Skerries train station, to Balbriggan, to go up a lift that they hope works in order to get to the other side of the platform and then have to wait an hour to get a train 2 km back down the track. These are the realities for people with disabilities. We try to highlight it as much as possible in the House. We may have another debate on it next week or next month or it may come up at the committee in six weeks but these people will have to get the train or the bus tomorrow.

Many of them do not have the financial ability to purchase a car they need. I represent a constituency that has a large rural base. We will never be able to get buses up every boreen of north County Dublin, so people will need cars that are suitable to their needs. From 2030 onwards, those will need to be electric cars. What is the plan there? I have asked the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, several times about a scrappage scheme that will first cater for people with disabilities to ensure they can genuinely afford a disabled-accessible car that is also climate friendly. It is 2022. These plans will have to begin to be formulated and policies put in place and rolled out from the middle to the later part of this decade in order to meet the targets for 2030. People with disabilities need to be at the forefront of this.

Reference has been made to the Indecon research report on the cost of living for people with disabilities. It is a powerful piece of research. On average, the extra cost is €9,500 to €11,700 a year. It costs people with disabilities a quarter of the industrial wage on top just to try to live an independent life, eat, get from A to B and C, and heat their homes. During the pandemic, many people did a significant amount of unsung heroic work. I am sure all present can attest to that and are aware of examples of it. One such example is taxi drivers who have vehicles that cater for people with disabilities. They did an awful lot of pro bono work to get people to hospital appointments, Covid tests and anywhere else they needed to go. It goes unheralded that when those taxi drivers who have vehicles that many other people in their industry or people with disabilities do not have were called upon by their communities and people who needed it, many of them stepped up and were able to fill a gap. That is not a system, however; it is people's charity and goodwill. We need a system.

The Minister of State gets it, but across Government, from transport right through to every other area, we need to place people with disabilities first. We need it in the housing sector. We need to ensure that a portion of every development being built has houses that are not just wheelchair accessible, but wheelchair livable, so that people can live in every single room. They need to be able to cook in the kitchen and have enough space to get around a table or into a living room. It is not just about getting into the hall; it is about being able to live in the home. Whether it be the State or private developers building homes, the State needs to impose regulations that ensure a proportion of homes for people with disabilities must be provided.

This country will be great when that is being done, those targets are being met and we are putting people who are on the margins first. We pride ourselves as being a country of great charity, and we are - we do want to help people and have a sisterhood and brotherhood with those on the margins and other people who are oppressed - but this State has a less than proud history of putting in place policies and supports for those who need them. At the moment, and for many years gone by, people with disabilities have been on the margins rather than being placed front and centre of policy decision-making. That has to stop. We are a rich country with only 5.5 million people. No one in this country should be in need or want or left on the margins. This should be a wonderful place to live for everyone. What the motion calls for in the area of transport is modest in the overall scheme of things but it would be transformative for people with disabilities. I commend the motion to the House and look forward to listening to the rest of the debate.

Deputy Gary Gannon

I thank the Regional Group for bringing forward this important and timely motion. The cost of disability report is a bleak overview of the increased annual financial burden that is associated with having a disability in Ireland. It costs between €9,500 and €11,700 more every year to live with a disability. To put this in context, the standard rate of disability allowance is €10,816 per annum. It barely covers the additional costs in most cases. Mobility, transport and communication represent almost one quarter of the extra expense. People who are blind or have a serious vision impairment have to pay €737 extra. For individuals with mobility difficulties it is €500, while for those with chronic illnesses it is between €600 and €735. That is money that is either difficult to afford or simply cannot be afforded.

I will focus on transport. From the outset, we should consider what transport represents. Transport is accessibility and independence. It provides disabled people with the freedom to make autonomous decisions about what they will do with their day.

Transport is employment. It helps people to get to, and retain, their jobs. Regrettably, we have one of the lowest rates of employment for disabled people in the EU and OECD. Transport is education. It allows people to get to college and school. A total of 13.7% of people with a disability aged 15 to 50 years have not progressed beyond primary education and people with a disability are less likely to complete third-level education. Transport is being able to socialise. People with a disability are at risk of increased social isolation, especially in rural areas.

Transport is essential for independent living. It is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Successive Governments have failed individuals and families in exercising this right and it is having knock-on effects in employment, education, socialising and independence. This simply has to change.

The discontinuation of the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant for new applicants in 2013 was disgraceful in itself but it was supposed to be temporary. That no adequate replacement has been developed in the nine years since these schemes were closed is truly shocking. Responsibility for this lies with Fine Gael for the decision to end this important support and for the decision not to replace it for almost a decade. Many people with disabilities and support organisations expressed their concern in 2013 but the Government assured them this was only an interim measure and a replacement scheme would be provided. Nine years later, disabled people and their families are still waiting.

The Government has also created a deeply unfair situation whereby those already in receipt of these supports continue to receive them but others in exactly the same position cannot access these or alternative supports. This issue is yet another clear violation of individual rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is a violation of the right to equal access to transportation in Article 9 and to independent living in Article 19.

The then Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, published a scathing report on this situation in November 2021 entitled "Grounded: unequal access for people with disabilities to personal transport schemes". This is unequivocal in its assessment that successive Governments have failed disabled people. In his conclusion, Mr. Tyndall wrote:

nine years later, there is no evidence of any real progress that would serve to enhance the lives of those for whom these schemes were intended to assist with their daily lives. This is of huge concern to me.

Schemes such as the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant are targeted supports that involve relatively small amounts in the scale of the national budget but can make a massive difference in the lives of individuals and their families. It is simply disgraceful and wrong that they have not been replaced.

The motion also calls for the primary medical certificate process to be reinstated and amended as it is not fit for purpose. The disabled drivers and passengers scheme provides for tax relief on adapted vehicles for disabled people, including children. It should be a simple and clear tool to help individuals and families be able to travel around safely. Instead, it is a bureaucratic and slow process that leaves people without suitable transport. It has extremely stringent criteria, such as the need to be without both hands or without both arms or without one or both legs, before access to the scheme can be granted. My colleague, Deputy Cairns, recently raised the issue of a young woman who had to have her hand amputated due to a rare form of cancer. This young woman, who is adjusting to a life-changing situation, quickly discovered that because she only lost one hand she would not be able to get a primary medical certificate to adapt her car. This has an impact on her ability to work, to care for her family and to live. It is grotesque how wrong it is.

It took a Supreme Court case for one family to get the scheme in 2020. It is a deeply flawed process. The recent resignation en masse of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal demonstrates this. The former board members had been calling for reform. The Government failed to act and they felt compelled to resign rather than continue to oversee such a flawed scheme.

The disabled drivers and passengers scheme remains rooted in a harmful medical-model understanding of disability. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Irish Government policy call for the social model approach that focuses on the person and changing structural barriers. The use of medical certificates and stringent criteria are not only antiquated, they are actively obstructing the independence and rights of disabled people. We need a system that is less concerned with exact medical and physiological issues and more with the individuals and how they can be empowered to live as independent a life as possible. We all know of cases where families have had to fundraise for adapted cars and vans for young children with disabilities. The State is failing these children and adults who are just looking for a fair shot at being able to get an adapted vehicle.

Our underinvestment in public transport is another issue when considering mobility. Many disabled people and others, including people who cannot afford a car and older people, rely on public transport. In urban areas, we need improved public transport infrastructure to cater for additional needs. The disability rights activists in Access for All regularly highlight issues. Its Twitter account daily shows lifts that are not working in DART and train stations. Yesterday there were eight such stations and there were seven on Monday. Even worse, people may not know in advance whether the lifts are functioning.

Rural areas require greater investment in Local Link services to provide an expanded timetable into evenings to combat rural isolation and loneliness, as well as ensuring that all minibuses are wheelchair accessible. There is a clear need for more sheltered bus stops. It is essential that people have a sheltered place to wait for the bus in wet Irish weather. This is as relevant for older people as it is for people with physical disabilities. However, the National Transport Authority, NTA, informed me that it only installs about 100 sheltered stops annually due to cost and complications with installing. Adding a sheltered stop is simple but has a big impact. Every neighbourhood, town, and village should have at least one.

In 2013, the Fine Gael Government should have immediately replaced the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant. The Government should have listened to the calls from disabled people and support organisations over the past nine years. The disabled drivers and passengers scheme should have been reformed years ago. The Cost of Disability in Ireland report should have been a wake-up call for the Government to the reality of living with a disability in Ireland. The Ombudsman’s report should have been a wake-up call. The Supreme Court case and resignation of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal should have been a wake up call. What will it take for the Government to wake up? When will it do the right thing for people with disabilities and their families? What more does it need to act?

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

I thank the Regional Group for tabling this very important motion. As has already been said, the question of transport for people with disabilities is absolutely critical. Without a decent transport system, every aspect of their lives is diminished. This includes access to education, employment, a social life and everything. As a result, people with disabilities suffer disproportionately from poverty and in terms of the impact on their mental health. This is not merely grossly unfair because if we are serious about the UNCRPD we are, in fact, also infringing their rights. We are failing to vindicate the rights of huge numbers of people who have a disability. This failure has continued.

I was a member of the finance committee when the issue arose of there being a problem with the mobility transport grant and motorised grant. This was because it was discriminatory and if we opened it up it would cost a fortune so, therefore, we would have to reconsider the entire thing. It has been left on ice for eight years with no financial support for people. It is absolutely outrageous penny-pinching and the impact is pretty severe.

I want to instance one example of something that points to solutions and to the failure of the Government in this regard. I have raised this repeatedly. I think I have raised it with the Minister of State. I have certainly raised it with the Taoiseach. It sums things up. This morning, my office spoke to the group Accessible Community Transport Southside Limited, ACTS. It provides a door-to-door service. It was doing 1,100 trips a month prior to Covid and this reduced to 550 during Covid. As a result, this impacted on its ability to generate funding.

People cannot use their free travel pass on this scheme because it does not come under the Department of Transport. Ironically, Dublin Bus and Transport for Ireland advertise this door-to-door transport scheme for people with disabilities on their websites but do not give a cent towards it. Nobody will take any responsibility for this. The Department of Transport does not want it and the Department of Health does not want it. Will it go to the Department with responsibility for disability? We are not quite sure. Perhaps it will. The point is that for the want of €53,000 in immediate funding, it could close down. I understand it met the Minister of State. The last I heard, which was today, was that it had not heard back.

Therefore, the group still does not know whether it is going to get the money. It needs €250,000 to replace its fleet. It used to have ten buses and now it is down to four. This is disgraceful, given it is such a fantastic service. It is disgraceful that those who use the service cannot do so for free. The fare structure, which is necessary if the group is to fund itself, is such that €12 is charged for a journey between 0 km and 5 km and €16 is charged for a journey from 5 km to 8 km. As much as €35 is charged for a journey between 25 km to 32 km. Those concerned have to do flag days and stand outside shopping centres collecting money. It is outrageous.

There are similar services with which I am not as familiar, including Easy-Cab Travel Club, Lucan Disability Action Group, Cork Accessible Transport and Vantastic. They should be part of the public transport system and should be funded. They should not have to organise flag days and all the rest of it to avoid the possibility of closing down because of a lack of funding. They should not have to have me come in here essentially begging on their behalf. I hope this will be addressed as a matter of urgency. It is absolutely unacceptable. Public transport has a responsibility.

There are many with disabilities who cannot access a normal bus service because services are overcrowded and because there is only one wheelchair space on a bus. There are similar issues associated with the DART. In this regard, I want to raise the Access for All Ireland campaign. I pay tribute to Mr. Bernard Mulvany and Sean O'Kelly, who have campaigned so consistently. Again, they are substituting for the failures of Iarnród Éireann, the Department of Transport and so on. What do they do? They send texts to people saying the lift is not working at such and such a DART station and that if people go there they will be trapped or unable to get on the train. This happens to people regularly. Mr. Mulvany told me this morning that there are three different portals with information on what is happening in each DART station. One is online and its information never correlates with what is actually going on at the station. Another comprises the displays at the station, which show information that is different from the information online. Another portal, which, apparently, is somewhat reliable, is the office putting the information together. Therefore, there are three sources of information on whether the lift is working. Lifts are constantly breaking down. We have removed personnel from many DART stations. If you go to one and there is nobody to help you with your problem, you are in trouble, which in itself is a disgrace. We should put staff back in the DART stations.

The other point Mr. Mulvany raised - I was not aware of it - is that people in rural areas still have to give 24 hours' notice to get on a train or bus. That is outrageous. We had a fight up here about that and there were some improvements. While it is still far from perfect in Dublin, 24 hours' notice must be given in rural Ireland. Where is the equality in that?

This links to many things, including our failure to take seriously the UNCRPD and our ongoing failure to sign up to the optional protocol. Ireland is one of two countries that has not signed up to it. Why? It is because we are afraid we will be caught out. Ireland has one of the lowest levels of subsidy for public transport in general anywhere in Europe. We are penny-pinching with public transport generally by comparison with our European counterparts. Ours is more expensive, less frequent and less reliable. While it hurts everybody, it hurts people with disabilities most. As a result, they cannot trust the public transport system or risk using it.

In Canada, brilliant services similar to ACTS have been institutionalised. As the state directly funds them, people do not have to worry about organising flag days and whether funding will be available. They do not have to charge fares to their customers because the public transport system provides a door-to-door service to people with disabilities. That is the sort of service we need.

Deputy Richard O'Donoghue

We have heard again that a person must give 24 hours' notice to get public transport. The Minister of State came to County Limerick to visit St. Joseph's Foundation in my parish. She was within a mile of my house but did not even notify me that she was coming. She did not give notice to the political representatives and those in the locality who had fundraised for the unit; she came for a picture and off she went again on her route.

We have seen people with disabilities. I have a mobile office on the road at home that is wheelchair accessible. I am able to do more than the Minister of State at present for people with disabilities because I am meeting people in communities around the county to make sure we can provide a service. I am not saying the Minister of State is not a good person.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

The Deputy just did.

Deputy Richard O'Donoghue

Maybe she is playing political games and is caught up in her position-----

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

He just did.

Deputy Richard O'Donoghue

Now she is interrupting me-----

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

He just did.

Deputy Richard O'Donoghue

She is not even extending common courtesy to me when she does not have the floor. I have the floor. I have described the way in which the Minister of State works, and that is fine-----

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I am not-----

Deputy Richard O'Donoghue

I am trying to give her a small bit of praise but she cannot even take that.

The Government let down St. Gabriel's during Covid. I opened a room in my office to assist with disability services when the Government ran to the hills. Now those affected have a place in which the Government is going to invest but it would not have invested unless the likes of Deputies had reached out to help people with disabilities in their areas. The Government jumps in when it is shown up. Thank God for social media because it now shows the position of the Government and its failure. We are not getting on RTÉ even though people pay television licence fees that go towards it. However, with social media we are now able to catch out the Government on the positions it holds.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae

It is nearly 40 years since a very young, hard-working Minister for Finance worked diligently on introducing a scheme for disabled drivers and passengers. How outdated that scheme is now. It was very welcome at the time. The scheme is very rigid in respect of who can qualify for it. For example, a completely blind person cannot qualify to be a disabled passenger. How outrageous is that? As far as this State is concerned, a person registered as blind and who cannot see anything is not entitled to be a disabled passenger in a supported car because he or she does not qualify or tick the box. Disabled persons who want to apply to be a disabled driver or passenger cannot do so. They are being told the board has resigned, with resulting complications. The board did not resign for the fun of it but because they knew the system they were in charge of was not fit for purpose as it was leaving too many people behind. The people being left behind are people with mobility problems. I ask that a board be constituted immediately, that we start accepting application forms immediately and that mechanisms such as the disabled drivers scheme and transport mobility grant be used. All mechanisms that give people mobility are so important.

I thank the taxi drivers and hackney operators in County Kerry who are disability friendly and who work to carry people around. I thank the advocacy groups in County Kerry that help people with disabilities and mobility problems. I thank the people who fundraise, but who should not have to, for people with mobility problems in County Kerry. To think that a disabled person has to give notice before travelling in rural Ireland is a disgrace.

Deputy Michael Collins

People with disabilities remain at a disadvantage in this country in spite of our having signed up to the UNCRPD. The state of footpaths in west Cork that facilitate access for disabled people is shocking. It is very unfair on them. As late as yesterday, a person with a disability and a motorised unit rang me to say he cannot go through one of the towns in west Cork because of the state of the footpaths, specifically because of the height of the steps. This is an issue that local authorities should have dealt with long before now.

"Early intervention" are buzzwords in early education, especially where children with a disability are concerned. I have been made aware in the past week of the planned closure of the early intervention unit in Kilbrittain, County Cork. It is to close at the end of this academic year. The unit is attached to the autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit in Kilbrittain National School and plays a vital role in providing early support to children with ASD before they start school. Some children will progress from the early intervention unit to mainstream classes but the vast majority will continue their education in the ASD unit.

I am well aware of the outstanding performance of this unit and what its loss will mean to the children, especially those with ASD, and their parents. They will come into school with no early intervention, which targets issues such as speech and language problems, emotional regulation, the need for occupational therapy and the development of a routine. The early intervention unit in Kilbrittain was opened in 2019 and has been an enormous asset to the school community. The special class teacher has just qualified with a master's degree in special education, more specifically early intervention. This illustrates the high level of expertise of the staff in the unit and the dedication of this teacher to the concept of early intervention. The community has fundraised to have a new play area built and the board of management has recently spent €40,000 on this project, which they believed to be a long-term investment in the school.

I ask the Minister of State to look into the closure of this ASD unit in Kilbrittain. I ask her, as Minister of State, to review this decision, not to close the unit and to help in any way to keep it open.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

I thank the Regional Group for giving us the opportunity to talk about disabled people in order that we can all highlight ways in which we need to help them. There is a scheme in place, the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme, that provides relief from VRT and VAT for disabled people and disabled people's next of kin or drivers in order that they can take passengers in their vehicles. That scheme has been totally held up since before Christmas. The Minister of State knows there are 380 people on the list. Those people are prisoners in their own homes. I have heard from one elderly woman who needed a specially adapted vehicle, and in order for her to go to her appointment in a week's time we have to get an ambulance to take her there. That is how serious this has got. We have many people in the private sphere, such as taxi and hackney drivers, in Kenmare, Killarney and Tralee. I know one man, Teddy McCarthy of Sneem, who has two taxis suitable for people with disabilities. He purchased those vehicles in Sneem to help people in the locality.

I ask the Minister of State to put the new appeals board in place. God damn it, if I cannot find someone to drive a vehicle, I must give up and park it. It is the same story with the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. We cannot hire people. Surely if we cannot do so and if the HSE cannot put in place a system to deal with disabled people, the Government must give up, put its hands up and say it cannot do this and that it will have to find some other entity to take charge. If we as elected representatives cannot help disabled people, surely we must give up because the system is broken. The reason the board members resigned was the restrictive conditions that were in place.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Mattie McGrath)

Tá do chuid ama caite.

Deputy Danny Healy-Rae

Deputy Michael Collins spoke about blind people and other categories of people who were not qualifying. Dr. McDonagh and the rest of them resigned because they could not keep going with the conditions and regulations-----

Acting Chairman (Deputy Mattie McGrath)

I call on the Independent Group. Glaoim ar na Teachtaí Marian Harkin agus Thomas Pringle.

Deputy Marian Harkin

I thank the Regional Group for tabling this motion on mobility and transport supports for people with disabilities. The calls made on the Government and the Minister of State in the motion are eminently reasonable and absolutely doable. The motion looks at specific barriers to mobility and transport that people with disabilities face in their everyday lives. This could be accessing their work, their education, their health needs, their social lives - as I said, their day-to-day lives, just like the rest of us. I listened to the Minister of State's contribution this morning and have listened to her previous contributions on this issue and I believe she is determined to put in place a system that is equitable for people with disabilities. However, we are a year and a half into the term of this Government and only now is the transport working group really beginning its work. Yes, the Government inherited a situation that is far from ideal, but that is its responsibility now and that is the situation in which we find ourselves.

Last year the then Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, said that personal transport supports for people with disabilities are "inadequate, unfair and inequitable". That is an independent voice saying that, so we must listen and act. He spoke of the fact that his office, just like all our offices, receives constant complaints about all the mobility schemes, whether the motorised transport scheme, now entering its ninth year of suspension, the mobility allowance or the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. As signatories to the UNCRPD, we have a responsibility to provide access to transport on an equal basis to persons with a disability in order that they too can live independent lives and participate fully in all aspects of life. For any of us, life is not a dress rehearsal; it is today and it is now. It is the very same for people with disabilities. They want to live their lives every day just like the rest of us, but, because their mobility and their access to either transport or mobility grants or assistance are severely compromised or, in some cases, non-existent, they are left waiting in the wings while the rest of us get on with our lives. Time is of the essence. We need a sense of urgency and immediacy on this matter.

Just recently - last week, in fact - I read the final report from Indecon on the cost of disability in Ireland. One of the findings of that report that struck me very forcibly was that the costs relating to transport and mobility were so significant for people. For example, the average extra yearly living cost due to disability that persons with disability could not afford - and the crucial point is that they could not afford them - under the heading of transport was over €3,000 per year. While the survey showed that the highest costs incurred by people with disabilities related to access to adequate housing, the second highest related to trying to access transport and mobility support. We therefore have had, as far back as 2012, the then Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, telling us the motorised transport grant was not fit for purpose, we have had many interventions from the Ombudsman's office in the intervening years, we have had report after report, culminating in the cost of disability report last November, but people with disabilities are still waiting. They wait while the rest of us move on, get on with our lives and fly by them. It is the Minister of State's responsibility to change fundamentally that situation.

Deputy Thomas Pringle

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion regarding mobility and transport supports for people with disabilities. I completely support the motion. As it rightly states, Ireland is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which calls on countries to provide access to transportation on an equal basis to enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life. What is the point in putting our name to these conventions if we are not going to act on them or put them into practice? People with disabilities should be able to live a full and independent life and should be given the same opportunities as everyone else to be fully active in our communities.

The transport system in this country is not only completely inadequate but is a system of inequality. Transport services for those with disabilities are few and far between, especially in my constituency of Donegal, where the transport infrastructure continues to lag behind the rest of the country. I have been contacted by many constituents who are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of mobility and transport supports, especially since the scaling back of these supports during Covid-19. Indeed, even for people to use the likes of the rail service, they have to book in advance and have to book for somebody to be there. Very often what happens now in the train stations in Dublin is that people are not there to meet them, so they cannot get off the train. That is just wrong and should not be allowed to continue. The lack of support means that many people with disabilities are missing out on employment, sports, entertainment and other activities. This is not only incredibly discriminatory, but we as a society lose out when we do not ensure that all people can participate fully and freely in our communities. We are also losing out on a very important perspective and voice when we do not ensure that everybody has a seat at the table. We should encourage those with disabilities to engage in public spaces and to participate in activism and politics. They are an important voice which is lacking in most decision-making roles in this country, and that needs to change.

We can make these changes in a number of ways. We need a complete review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. The scheme's eligibility criteria are extremely limited and exclude many people who are in need of access to these supports for personal transport.

Keeping it extremely limited is deliberate, perhaps not on the part of the Minister of State but on Government's part. Historically, it has controlled access to the supports. That is wrong. We also need a replacement scheme for the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant. It is a disgrace that nothing has replaced this allowance since it was discontinued in 2013. Those who relied on this allowance and the grant have been left without it for almost a decade. I call on the Government to replace both with a new and equal scheme as soon as possible.

I also call on the Government to reinstate the primary medical certificate, however, not in its current form which is not fit for purpose. This is a big issue in my constituency and I have been contacted by many constituents who have clear evidence and documentation of their disability, but somehow do not meet the very limited primary medical certificate criteria. It should be the case that if a GP believes a person should qualify for a primary medical certificate, he or she should be given this as an automatic right.

As well as these changes, we need to ensure that disability services are returned to full capacity in order for people with disabilities to continue to live full and active lives. Donegal disability centres, such as Cashel na Cor in Buncrana, are still working at reduced capacity. I have been contacted by constituents in regard to the ongoing situation at the centre where service users can only get two days per week at the centre. This is very upsetting for service users and their families. The service users are adults and many of their parents and carers who are elderly need the service to return to at least a five-day-per-week service. This is the least they hope for.

I hope the Government will act on this sooner rather than later and that it takes the steps necessary to ensure a fair and equal society for all in this country. That is vital. It should be our role to ensure that everybody can access fair and equal services.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The issues relating to transport for people with disabilities have been raised at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters on a weekly basis. Issues with the primary medical certificate and the workings of the certificate are constantly being brought up. In the first instance, the primary medical certificate as it is currently constituted is not fit for purpose. When it is not, it is very restrictive. If that is to be basis for providing aid or transport for people with disabilities, we need to make sure that everybody who has a disability is included in that scheme. That is the first review we need to look at. We must make sure the primary medical certificate is fit for purpose.

This matter has been ongoing. There was a court case in 2020 - nearly two years ago - and there is the issue with appeals. The people who resigned from the appeals board were very clear. They said it was not fit for purpose and they put it to the Government and the Departments of Finance, Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to make sure that a new scheme that was fit for purpose was put in place. If one message is to be taken from this debate, it is that we must be very clear that the ongoing review should be completed quickly in order to ensure that there is no delay and that the new scheme is brought forward as a matter of urgency. There are people who are hurting because of what is happening. There are people who are making decisions that they cannot get access to transport and so forth. The scheme needs to be put in place as a matter of urgency. I ask the Government and the Minister and Minister of State to make sure it happens as a matter of extreme urgency.

In the time I have left, I wish to raise one other matter. In the debate, we talked about disabilities and the various challenges facing the disability side. One challenge is the assessment of need and the therapies required afterwards. The latter are non-existent in the public sphere. A significant effort is being made to recruit people into the HSE to provide the services as well as for the different schemes that are changing. The Government needs to look at how we are failing in terms of reducing the numbers on waiting lists and must make sure that proper assessments of need are conducted and that appropriate therapies are offered to families. The money should be following the person who needs to access the therapies. We should look at that to see if it is humanly possible to make sure everybody who is reaching out for therapies receives them. Many people have gone into private practice. Some have left public practice to go into private practice, which is very unusual, because of the frustrations within the public sphere. That is an issue we need to look at. I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate.

Deputy Brian Leddin

I reject the personalised attack on the Minister of State by my fellow countyman earlier. This kind of populist politics is reprehensible and has no place in the House.

I welcome the Minister of State's ongoing focus on, commitment to and prioritisation of inclusive transport for people with disabilities and we are fortunate to have her working on this portfolio. I welcome this motion from my fellow Deputies, but we cannot focus solely on adaptive cars. We need to be broader minded as to what an inclusive transport system means. People with disabilities walk, cycle and wheel, if our built environment does not disable them. Our record on the rights of people with disabilities has been abysmal to date, nowhere more so than in our public spaces. We see so-called kissing gates installed by local authorities blocking access to public amenities. We see drivers parking cars on paths, parking in disabled parking spaces and we see poorly designed cycle lanes that do not enable people using trikes or hand cycles to use them. We must ensure that people with disabilities have the right to access our public spaces, because people with disabilities have the right to the same opportunity of access to education, employment and public amenities. This is not something that is nice to have; it is a right.

This Government is honouring its commitment to invest in public transport and active travel. Our national technical standards for designing and delivering this infrastructure must be inclusive. We await the national cycle manual from the National Transport Authority and we await every single local authority to avail of national funding and deliver quality mobility networks so that everyone can safely and comfortably move around, particularly if they cannot or chose not to drive. We need to recognise that road safety is predominantly a design issue. Our national design manual for urban roads and streets clearly outlines that priority must be given to a hierarchy of road users, that is vulnerable road users; people walking, cycling and rolling; public transport; and, lastly, private car traffic. A 30 km/h speed limit is proven to reduce fatalities and serious injuries from collisions, yet it is not the default speed limit outside every school and throughout our town centres.

We need to recognise the part road design plays in acquired disability. We have the data. We know three out of four people injured in road traffic collisions who were admitted to the National Rehabilitation Hospital suffered a traumatic brain injury. For every pedestrian killed on our roads, eight are seriously injured. For every person who has been killed on our roads while cycling, 25 others have been seriously injured. Serious injuries from road traffic collisions can result in people living with spinal injuries, the loss of a limb and a lifetime of chronic pain. Serious injuries from road traffic collisions have a devastating impact on the person and that impact sends shock waves beyond the person's circle of family and friends. These statistics represent people whose lives are altered forever. We need to make sure our streets are designed so that they cause no harm. We need to make sure our streets and transport system are designed to allow every member of our community to live as full and independent a life as possible.

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Deputy Roderic O'Gorman)

I thank the Regional Group for this motion, which gives us the opportunity to discuss these important issues. I emphasise, on behalf of the Government, our commitment to support people with disabilities and to the progressive realisation of our UNCRPD commitments. There is a real complexity in the issues discussed. They include issues we are already working on to address so we can improve and strengthen the transport supports available to people with disabilities. I am glad that work is ongoing within the framework of the interdepartmental working group on transport in view of the different needs of people with disabilities around this country.

We need to give this work the time to be carried out for us to get it right and move forward by properly calibrating our supports and making the best use of our resources. At a whole-of-government level, the national disability inclusion strategy, which has been extended to the end of 2022, sets the overall framework through which the rights of people with disabilities under the UNCRPD can be advanced. Under the strategy, a number of Departments have responsibility for delivering on those transport commitments.

The Minister of State outlined the work being done by Government colleagues. In closing this discussion, I want to highlight that work and point to the level of commitment, the complexity, and the opportunity for future co-ordination. The Minister for Transport acknowledges the important role transport plays in all our lives and is particularly conscious of the concerns in regard to making public transport accessible for all. The Minister is committed to progressively making public transport accessible for people with disabilities, including in rural areas, by ensuring that new infrastructure and services are accessible from the start and retrofitting older infrastructure.

He secured €13.35 million in budget 2022 for this purpose. In line with Article 9 of the UNCRPD, the National Transport Authority supports persons with disabilities to travel independently on public transport networks through initiatives like the Just a Minute card for anyone with a communication difficulty and the provision of disability awareness training to public transport staff. Further, the travel assist scheme currently provides free assistance for people who need it in accessing public transport or to plan public transport journeys in the greater Dublin area. The extension of this scheme to the Cork area is going to be piloted this year.

Looking at rural areas, last October the Minister for Transport joined the National Transport Authority to launch the public consultation on the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. Connecting Ireland is a major national public transport initiative developed by the National Transport Authority to increase public transport connectivity, particularly for people living outside major towns and cities. We will significantly increase both the number of routes and the frequency of existing services right across the country.

On the free travel scheme provided by the Department of Social Protection, a recommendation in the 2017 Make Work Pay report has resulted in the introduction of changes to the way in which people with disabilities who get employment can retain access to the free travel scheme. Persons with disabilities who receive the partial capacity benefit may hold on to it to allow them to return to work. As transport supports for people with disabilities are the responsibility of a variety of Departments and agencies, it is appropriate that the Government would use the interdepartmental transport group, chaired by the Minister of State and operating within the framework of the national disability inclusion strategy, as the forum within which to address this issue in a holistic way.

Deputy Denis Naughten

Lockdown has been a terrible experience for us all, confined to our own communities for weeks on end. However, some people have effectively been in self-isolation in their own homes for the past 460 weeks. Sadly, there is no indication as to when these restrictions are going to be lifted. We want the Government to provide the funding to establish a comprehensive set of transport supports for people with a disability as a matter of priority. These people are effectively being marooned and isolated in their own homes and they have experienced this for the last nine years.

Households with a disability spend, on average, more than €9,000 on items explicitly relating to that disability, such as unique versions of products, transport and mobility. These are additional living costs for people with disabilities on top of the dramatic increases we have seen in the cost of living for everyone else. The curtailment in supports for people with a disability in terms of transport have come on foot of interventions either by the courts or by the office of the Ombudsman. Because of the political implications of these decisions, the Minister of the day would have received a clear indication of what was coming down the track. The Government was forewarned yet we are still waiting, nine years down the road, to see any action. It is time now to implement a transport scheme that works for people with a disability.

Nine years ago, the Government suspended the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant for new applicants. It promised at the time that it would put an alternative, fair and equal replacement scheme in place. That never happened. The motorised transport grant was a means tested payment to help someone to buy a car so that they could retain employment. The mobility allowance was a means tested monthly payment for people who could not walk and could not use public transport. In her contribution earlier, the Minister of State was critical of us for not coming up with a solution. As her colleague, the senior Minister, clearly indicated, this is a complex issue and one on which I worked very closely with the former Minister of State, Finian McGrath. Alternative supports were proposed to Government at that time. Of course, sign-off was never secured. Deputy Leddin is right about the issue of universal design. Deputy Stanton and I have been campaigning on that issue for many years. It needs to be integrated into all strata of our society.

In June 2020, the disabled driver scheme was suspended. Again, the Government had been given the heads-up on what was going to happen. The scheme provides tax reliefs for the purchase and adaptation of vehicles. The terms and conditions of the disabled drivers and passengers scheme have never rested easy with Members of the Oireachtas. It has always been totally inadequate as a scheme and never met the genuine needs of people with disabilities. Instead of trying to address the nonsensical and extremely dated conditions of the scheme, the Government has just reinstated it in primary legislation. In order to be eligible for the tax reliefs under that scheme, the only scheme available at the moment for people with disabilities who cannot access public transport, they have to be without the use of both legs or without the use of both hands or both arms, or without one or both legs. If they have the use of one leg, then they can only avail of the scheme if they do not have the use of both hands or arms. Someone who cannot use their arms but can use their legs is denied access to it. This archaic scheme is in need of radical reform.

I accept that the Government is coming forward with a review of the scheme. However, we are hearing about review after review of it. We have no commitment on deadlines or that the recommendations that come out of the national inclusion strategy will be implemented in a timely manner. To be isolated in one's own home for 460 weeks is totally unacceptable. People with a disability today are effectively marooned in their own homes. They cannot participate in their own communities or take up worthwhile employment because of the lack of access to basic supports.

Deputy Seán Canney

I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for their contributions. The Regional Group's contribution is that we need a scheme that will work, that will offer support to those who have mobility issues and allow them some independence so they are no longer grounded, as stated by Peter Tyndall.

Back in 2011, Emily O'Reilly stated that the scheme, and the requirement to hold a primary medical certificate, were wrong and did not comply with the Equal Status Act. It is not the fault of the Green Party or Fianna Fáil; they have been in government for the past two years. Really, the reaction of Governments has been to suspend a scheme if there is a problem with it. They say they will look at it and bring something forward in the future. As Members of the Oireachtas, there are many things we are not very proud of when we look at people with disabilities. This is one way of fixing one small problem for a cohort who are imprisoned in their homes at the moment. We talk about public transport and what we can do there. That is fine and we will do it but it will happen over long years. People will still be in their homes unable to go to work or go out and do their shopping. They will not have that independence which they so deserve. The message is not so much that the Government is not doing anything. We have to speed up this process. The chair of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters has said that as well.

We need to do it as quickly as possible in a timeframe that will give hope. Timelines need to be put on all the discussions that are currently ongoing.

The Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, said that the criteria for the primary medical certificate scheme are extremely limited and excessively restrictive. He explained that this has resulted in people who do not meet the criteria but are just as immobile as those who do being excluded from the scheme. The idea of this scheme should not be to exclude people who need it; it should be to include people who deserve it. It is a basic right and we should just put it in place. There will be challenges. I would tell both Ministers that the challenges will be with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform to get the money to put this in place. It is terribly frustrating for people with disabilities. Everyone wants to do something that is right yet when it comes to paying for it the money is cut off. We have to get over that and now is the time to do that. We need timelines for the new scheme being put in place.

I refer to the appeals process. People in my constituency of Galway East have to travel up to Dún Laoghaire for an appeal. These are people who have mobility issues. Let us think about that. It is all wrong. We must ensure that there is a personalised support for people who need it. That is what we need to do and not drag people all over the country to try to prove a disability that sometimes they will have had since birth. I have a case of a young child who is blind and the family needs a car adapted. Whenever they try to get anything, like the primary medical certificate, the first thing the parents must do is prove the child is blind. The child is blind and is permanently blind. That is wrong and it is an indictment of what we have set up here. I wish the Ministers here well and we are here to support them in making sure that whatever we do, we do it right for those who need it.

Question put and agreed to.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 16 Feb 2022

Mobility and Transport Supports for People with Disabilities: Motion [Private Members]

Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Feb 2022