My Department funds the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal, an independent body set up to review decisions where an individuals application for the Primary Medical Certificate is unsuccessful at local HSE level. Payments to fund this Board are made to the National Rehabilitation Hospital, a Catholic voluntary publicly funded hospital under the care of the Sisters of Mercy and jointly held in trust with the Minister for Health. Details of the amounts paid for the period in question are in the following table.
Year
|
€
|
2010
|
€311,548.00
|
2011
|
€325,543.10
|
2012
|
€331,582.10
|
2013
|
€324,562.20
|
2014
|
€289,235.22
|
2015
|
€327,459.90
|
2016
|
€319,539.20
|
2017
|
€276,529.20
|
2018
|
€118,733.58
|
In 2010, my Department administered the Charitable Lotteries Scheme. Under this Scheme, funding was made available to supplement the income of certain private charitable lotteries whose products were competing directly with National Lottery products. In 2010, a total of €8,618,000 was awarded to 19 different charitable organisations. While some of the recipients may be classed as religious organisations, our records do not differentiate between these and other charitable organisations. From 2011 until it was disbanded, this Scheme was administered by the Department of Justice and Equality.
Since 2015, my Department has administered the Fuel Grant Scheme for Disabled Drivers, which was introduced to replace the excise relief element of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme. Organisations who are limited companies and registered as a charity, and who are involved in the transport and care of primary medical cert holders are eligible for this grant. Again, our records do not differentiate between religious organisations and other charitable organisations in receipt of these grants.
A nominal figure (between €20-€50 approximately) has been spent annually on Mass Cards, as part of my Department’s Bereavement Policy, in which sympathy cards are sent by HR to bereaved staff members or their families.