Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
1246. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health the status of the primary medical certificate; if new applications are being accepted; the status of the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36277/23]
View answerResponsibility for the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme, operated by the Revenue Commissioners, falls under the remit of the Minister for Finance. To qualify for the scheme, an applicant must hold 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 a range of conditions. There is currently no pause on applications to the scheme.
The extent of the involvement of health personnel in the scheme relates to making a professional clinical determination as to whether an individual applicant satisfies the medical criteria set out in the Department of Finance regulations. This determination is undertaken by Senior Medical Officers for the relevant local Health Service Executive (HSE) administrative Community Health Organisation, on behalf of the Revenue Commissioners. These HSE personnel have no role in setting or amending the criteria.
A successful applicant is provided with a Primary Medical Certificate. An unsuccessful applicant can appeal the HSE's Senior Medical Officer's decision to the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal, which is under the auspices of the Minister for Finance.
The Minister for Health's role under the legislation is to nominate to the Minister for Finance members of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeals (DDMBA).
Regarding the current status of the board, the previous members of the DDMBA resigned effective from 30th November 2021. Several Expression of Interest (EOI) campaigns were held throughout 2022 and more recently in 2023.
The Minister for Finance holds responsibility for establishing the Board, and to this end, the Department of Finance advise they are currently in the process of re-establishing the Board.
