Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 February 2018
95. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Finance his plans to amend or change the terms and eligibility conditions for receipt of primary medical certificates particularly in cases in which persons seeking same are severely disabled but have not lost a limb or have other significant medical conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8036/18]
View answerAs you may be aware, the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme provides relief from VAT and VRT on the purchase of an adapted car for transport of a person with specific severe and permanent physical disabilities, payment of a fuel grant, and an exemption from Motor Tax.
To qualify for the Scheme an applicant must be in possession of a Primary Medical Certificate. To qualify for a Primary Medical Certificate, an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled within the terms of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994 and satisfy one of the following conditions:
- be wholly or almost wholly without the use of both legs;
- be 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;
- be without both hands or without both arms;
- be without one or both legs;
- be wholly or almost wholly without the use of both hands or arms and wholly or almost wholly without the use of one leg;
- have the medical condition of dwarfism and have serious difficulties of movement of the lower limbs.
The Department has no role in the granting of Primary Medical Certificates to any applicant. The PMC is issued by the relevant Senior Medical Officer in the HSE, or failing that an appeal may be made to the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeals. The Medical Board of Appeals must be independent in its determinations and so the Department has no influence over the outcome of any appeal.
The Scheme represents a significant tax expenditure. Between the Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT forgone, and the fuel grant, the scheme cost approximately €65m in each of 2016 and 2017. This figure does not include the revenue forgone in respect of the relief from Motor Tax provided to members of the Scheme.
The Scheme and qualifying criteria were designed specifically for those with severe physical disabilities and are, therefore, necessarily precise. From time to time I receive representations on behalf of individuals and organisations who believe they would benefit from the scheme but do not qualify under the criteria. While I have sympathy for such cases, given the scale and scope of the scheme, there are no plans to review the medical criteria eligibility at this time.
