Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 November 2004
319 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Transport his proposals to extend the disabled person’s parking card scheme to the families of persons with intellectual disability whose children or adult dependants have mobility problems or whose behaviour is such that it is impossible for them to use public transport or walk for any distances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29423/04]
View answerThe Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations, 1997 empower local authorities, the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disabled Drivers Association to grant a disabled person's parking permit where they are satisfied that the applicant is suffering from a disability that prevents him or her from walking or causes undue hardship to the person in walking. The qualifying criterion is, therefore, a question of personal mobility and no specific medical condition is stipulated in the regulations.
It is a matter for each of the issuing organisations to determine whether a disabled person's parking permit should be granted based on each application submitted to it. I have no involvement in respect of the determination of individual applications made by any of those bodies.
