I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. It is not the first time I have heard him speak on this issue and the need to improve the scheme.
The disabled drivers scheme dates back to 1968, when relief from road tax was made available under section 43 of the Finance Act of that year for persons with a disability meeting specific medical criteria. Since then, the scheme has been extended and amended on a number of occasions.
The benefits of the scheme for qualifying persons are set out in the legislation. They consist of full relief in the year of purchase of an adapted vehicle of vehicle registration tax, and VAT subject to limits of €9,525 for a qualifying driver and €15,875 for a qualifying passenger or organisation. In the case of passengers, there is a requirement that the adaptation to the car must amount to at least 10% of the cost of the car. In the case of both drivers and passengers, the vehicle must be retained for at least two years. Second, there is relief from excise duty up to a maximum of 600 gallons per year, or 900 gallons in the case of an organisation; and third, exemption from road tax.
The average total annualised value of these benefits is estimated at around €5,500 per claimant. In the year of purchase of a car, a claimant receives benefits relating to the purchase of the car, fuel relief and road tax. In the other years, the benefits received are fuel relief and road tax. Regulations also provide for the inclusion in the scheme of non-profit organisations involved in the transport of persons with a disability.
In terms of the overall scale and scope of the scheme, the most recent data available from the Revenue Commissioners shows that the total number of claimants in the system in 2006 was around 11,000. This was made up of approximately 4,500 drivers and 6,500 passengers. In 2006, the total cost of the scheme, excluding road tax, was €59 million — an increase of some €9 million on 2005. When road tax is included, the total cost in 2006 is estimated at over €67 million.
The statutory basis for the current scheme is section 92 of Finance Act 1989. The 1994 Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations, made under the 1989 Act, set out the medical criteria, certification procedures, reliefs available to eligible persons, appeal procedures, and other matters. Given the generosity of the scheme, strict medical criteria are set down for qualification. The scheme is not open to all people with a disability. It is available only to people with certain serious permanent physical disabilities, which result in considerable mobility difficulty.
Deputy Durkan has already referred to the medical eligibility criteria for the scheme, as set out in the legislation. It is a fundamental requirement for admission to the scheme that the applicant meets the specified medical criteria and is in possession of a primary medical certificate to that effect. A person who is deemed to satisfy the criteria is issued with a primary medical certificate by the senior medical officer of that HSE administrative area. Possession of this certificate qualifies the holder to claim the benefits of the scheme either as a qualifying driver or a qualifying passenger.
In some cases, the persons concerned do not appear to the senior medical officer to meet the criteria and so the relevant certificate is refused. Where the medical certificate is not granted, the legislation provides for an appeal procedure operated by the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal. The board is an independent body whose decision is final. The board's members are appointed by the Minister for Finance on the nomination of the Minister for Health and Children.
Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to improve the level of service concerning appeals. There is still some work needed in this regard, but following a period of difficulty in organising sufficient meetings of the Medical Board of Appeal, the Tánaiste reconstituted the board in early 2005. Since that date, the panel of doctors has been incrementally expanded from three to 15 members. This has facilitated more frequent meetings of the board, thus enabling progress to be made in reducing the backlog of appeals that had arisen.
A special interdepartmental review group has reviewed the operation of the disabled drivers scheme. It examined current benefits, qualifying medical criteria, Exchequer costs, relationship with other schemes and similar schemes in other countries. The report also made a number of recommendations, both immediate and long-term, referring respectively to the operation of the appeals process and to options for the future development of the scheme.
In respect of the long-term recommendations, which included the qualifying disability criteria, the issues raised are complex and difficult, as is clear from the interdepartmental review group's report, and they raise fundamental questions about the scope and purpose of the scheme. However, given the scale and scope of the scheme, any possible changes can only be made after careful consideration and with regard to the existing and prospective cost of the scheme, and available resources. The key challenge is to seek to ensure that the current scheme is managed effectively and efficiently, and that any changes introduced ensure the effective use of resources in promoting access and participation for persons with a disability.
At the outset I should have stated that I am replying on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Cowen, who is unavoidably absent.
With regard to the particular case that Deputy Durkan outlined, I ask him to send the details to me and I will forward them to the Tánaiste for his further consideration. We all know of particular cases that seem to meet the criteria, but at times it appears difficult to make progress with them. This can be so with individual cases I have come across. I ask the Deputy to communicate with me in that regard.
