Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 June 2017
44. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Health when replacements for the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant scheme will be brought forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29223/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFirst, I take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister on his reinstatement, and my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, on his elevation. I will be expecting great things for Cork South-West now. I suppose, for me, it is a case of the devil you know is better than the devil you do not. I wish them luck.
I ask the Minister when the replacements for the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant scheme will be brought forward, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I thank the Deputy for her question and good wishes. It is timely that the first question I get to answer in the House is for my constituency colleague.
Conscious of the reports of the Ombudsman in 2011 and 2012 on the legal status of the mobility allowance and motorised transport grants scheme in the context of the Equal Status Acts, the Government decided to close both schemes in February 2013. The Government is aware of the continuing needs of people with a disability who rely on individual payments that support choice and independence. In this regard, monthly payments of up to €208.50 have continued to be made by the Health Service Executive to 4,700 people who were in receipt of the mobility allowance.
The Government decided that the detailed preparatory work required on a new transport support scheme and associated statutory provisions should be progressed by the Minister for Health. A Programme for a Partnership Government acknowledges the ongoing drafting of primary legislation for a new transport support scheme. I can confirm that work on the policy proposals for the new scheme is at an advanced stage. The proposals seek to ensure there will be a firm statutory basis to the scheme's operation; that there will be transparency and equity in the eligibility criteria attaching to the scheme; that resources will be targeted at those with greatest needs; and that the scheme will be capable of being costed and affordable on its introduction and an ongoing basis. The next step is to seek Government approval for the drafting of a Bill for the new scheme.
On 26 February 2016 the Government decided to scrap the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant. In June that year it decided that new statutory provisions would be established to provide individual payments for people with a severe disability who required additional income to address the costs associated with their mobility needs. An interdepartmental group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach was asked to develop detailed proposals for the operation of the new scheme or schemes, including eligibility criteria and administration arrangements, and report back by October 2013. On 26 November 2013 the Government decided that the work to prepare for the scheme or schemes should be progressed by the Minister for Health. The Taoiseach who set up the interdepartmental group is gone and two Minsters have since left the Department of Health, yet we are still waiting. There is extraordinary annoyance and frustration at the lack of progress being made on the replacement schemes for the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant schemes.
I thank the Deputy for bringing my attention to this important matter. It is worth pointing out that the Government's legislative programme for 2017 includes the Health Transport Support Bill. As the Deputy is aware, the background to it did not involve the Government deciding to scrap the scheme. It was the result of the Ombudsman making a judgment on the operation of the scheme. I take on board the Deputy's concerns. It is a legislative priority for the Government and we intend to progress the Bill.
It is extraordinarily frustrating that there has been no movement on this issue. It is disheartening to see the same reply being given time and again. I have raised the issue many times, but the same reply keeps being given. It is even more frustrating for those who had qualified under the previous schemes. They have simply been left with nothing to help them in their day-to-day lives. More than 1,500 days later, we are still waiting. That is longer than the duration of the War of Independence and the Civil War combined. People with disabilities have waited for far too long for the supports they need and deserve. It is not good enough that they are left to put up with temporary measures. The absence of certainty on the future of these supports is causing immense distress for many. It is yet another example of maladministration and lack of planning. When will the wait be over?
As I said, those already participating in the scheme do not need to have any fear because the payments will continue. The HSE will continue to make monthly payments to all of them. I say as much, notwithstanding the concerns of the Deputy about new entrants to the scheme. It is a legislative priority for the Government. I will take up the matter with the Minister of State with responsibility for disability matters, Deputy Finian McGrath, to try to ensure progress. I will certainly convey to him the concerns expressed by the Deputy.
