Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2023-02-01
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Peter Fitzpatrick (IND), Louth

People wishing to avail of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme, which provides tax relief on the purchase of specially constructed or adapted vehicles for someone with a disability, are being rejected at community level and then left waiting for an appeal date due to the inaccessibility of a sitting board. To qualify, applicants have to obtain a primary medical certificate via assessment at community level. It does not take a medical qualification to know that the language used for the six criteria is highly restrictive and excludes many people with genuine, severe and permanent disabilities from accessing supports. When deemed ineligible at the community medical officer level, people appeal the decision to the disabled drivers medical board of appeal, DDMBA, the board of which is made up of medical practitioners appointed by the Minister for Finance.
We need a scheme that looks at disability in terms of functions rather than pathology. We should ask about a person's level of function and what the person needs in the vehicle. They should qualify on that basis, whether they are autistic, epileptic or a stroke patient. We need to look at a graded system of support. Some people need big adaptations, such as a special vehicle in which a wheelchair can be placed as they cannot drive themselves, while others just need a specialist seat or a swivel seat. It does not have to mean a big benefit to everybody who qualifies for it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2023-02-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-02-01