Vol. 541 No. 2
510 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will give details of the motorised transport scheme; when the scheme was introduced; the number of people availing of the scheme; and the annual cost. [21680/01]
The motorised transport grant is a means tested payment administered by the health boards. It was introduced in 1968 by way of Circular 7/68. The guidelines were reviewed and modified in letters of 19 February 1974 and 15 March 1974. The purpose of this allowance is to provide assistance to persons with a disability who may need a car to obtain/retain employment or to provide assistance to persons with a disability who are living in very isolated circumstances and have serious transport problems.
To be eligible to receive this allowance applicants must satisfy the following conditions: their disability must impede their use of public transport; they must hold a driving licence; they must be physically and mentally capable of driving; the motorised transport must be a necessity in order for the person to obtain/retain employment or the person must have a transport requirement because of very isolated circumstances.
Applications may also be considered in cases where persons with severe disabilities are incapable of managing the controls of a car or where on medical opinion it is inadvisable for them to drive and, therefore, they must be driven to and from their place of employment. In such cases, the car must be purchased by the person with a disability and the name of the person who will drive this person to and from his/her place of employment must be notified to the relevant health board. The maximum grant is £3,300, effective from 1 April 2001.
A total of 296 people received the motorised transport grant in 2000. The total expenditure for this grant for the year ended 31 December 2000 was £935,199.
