Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 October 2004
114 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her views on whether myalgic encephalomyelitis is a recognised illness, entitling persons suffering from it to be considered for disabled persons parking cards. [25911/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not the role of my Department to decide what does and does not constitute a defined illness or to characterise the features of such an illness. The determination of such matters is rightly the subject of co-operative international research within the various scientific disciplines in conjunction with support groups.
Section 35 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 provides that my colleague the Minister for Transport may make regulations for the general control of traffic and pedestrians. Traffic and parking regulations made under that section in 1997, together with subsequent amendment regulations, provide the statutory code for the control of traffic, including cyclists, the parking of mechanically propelled vehicles and the use of public roads by pedestrians. The regulations include a provision that establishes a system for the granting of special parking permits to disabled persons. The specific provision determines that for the purpose of the regulations a disabled person means a person who is suffering from a disability that prevents him or her from walking or causes undue hardship to a person in walking. This 1997 scheme, which encompasses all disabled persons, superseded a previous scheme that was limited to drivers who were disabled.
The regulations provide that a disabled person's parking permit may be granted by a local authority, the Irish Wheelchair Association or the Disabled Drivers Association. It is therefore a matter for each of those organisations to determine whether or not a disabled person's parking permit should be granted based on each application submitted to it. I have no direct involvement in respect of the determination of individual applications made to any of those bodies.
