Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2004
230 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Finance the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway was refused an application for a primary medical certificate as a disabled driver; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31101/04]
View answerThe disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) scheme is open to people with disabilities who meet the specified criteria and have obtained a primary medical certificate to that effect. The senior area medical officer attached to the relevant local health board is responsible for both the medical assessment and the issue of the medical certificate. Where the issue of the required certificate is refused this can be appealed to the disabled drivers' medical board of appeal, an independent body whose decision is final.
The medical criteria for the purposes of the tax concessions under this scheme are set out in the disabled drivers' and disabled passengers' (tax concessions) regulations 1994. Six different types of disablement are listed under the regulations and a qualifying person must satisfy one or more of them. The six types of disablement are one, persons who are wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs; two, persons who are wholly without the use of one leg and almost wholly without the use of the other leg such that the applicant is severely restricted as to movement of the lower limbs; three, persons without both hands or without both arms; four, persons without one or both legs; five, persons wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg; six, persons having the medical condition of dwarfism and has serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
