Vol. 525 No. 2
400 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Finance if he will comment on the delays being experienced by applicants appealing decisions under the Disabled Drivers and Passengers Tax Concessions Regulations, 1994; if he will change the procedure of appeal to make it more efficient; and if he will comment in particular on the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny who urgently requires the transport to continue his work. [24570/00]
While my Department has no involvement in the operation of the disabled drivers medical board of appeal, I am informed that there is currently a backlog of appeals to be dealt with by the board and that this has resulted in delays of over six months between the date of appeal to the board and the offer of an appointment. At present there are approximately 270 persons on the waiting list and this is an indication of the level of demand for tax relief under the scheme as evidenced by the fact that in the first nine months of this year, over 1200 new applicants were admitted to the scheme. I am afraid that there is no obvious solution to the problem which seems to be exacerbated by the fact that many of those who appeal to the board are aware that they do not meet the medical criteria specified in the regulations but still insist on exercising their right of appeal.
I understand that an appeal was received by the board on 17 July 2000 from the person referred to by the Deputy but, unfortunately, an appointment has not yet been offered because of the backlog referred to above. In this regard I understand that a date will be set within the next few months and that the person concerned will be notified approximately two weeks before the appointment.
