Louth TD calls for reform of disabled transport schemes

The issue of the difficulties faced by disabled drivers with current legislation was highlighted in Leinster House last week by Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú, who spoke about a constituent who is facing problems.

The Sinn Féin deputy was speaking during a debate on a Private Members’ Motion tabled by the Rural Independents.

Deputy Ó Murchú said the Dáil had been talking for a long time about the need to reform schemes around transport for people with disabilities.

He said he had spoken to a woman in Dundalk who is a family friend and personal assistance for a young woman who has been several years on the scheme as a passenger.

He said: “The young woman has a primary medical cert and has been on the scheme years, she has a car exempt under her father's name who passed away a few months ago.

“For the last six years, this friend has been the young woman’s driver for medical appointments as her father only drove a short distance and she has several medical appointments in Dublin due to her cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

“The car, a Peugeot Expert Independence, is already exempt. The issue is the young woman cannot avail of the scheme now since her father passed away as the logbook of the car needs to be in the person's name availing of the scheme.

“If it is put into the young woman’s name she cannot get her vehicle insured as she doesn't drive and her friend cannot insure it as she is not legally on the log book.

“If the car is in the friend’s name, because she is not legally a relative of the woman, she cannot avail of the scheme as it states it needs to be a family member.

“It's her car but just as a driver; the friend has been denied insurance if the vehicle is in the young woman's name.”

The TD said that schemes need to be created, inside a proper framework that will ‘allow people to be all they can be to make sure they can live their lives as best they can and can go to the necessary medical appointments and far beyond.

He said: “We are affecting people's lives in a detrimental way. I assume everybody in this Chamber does not want this to be the case so we need to get our heads together and ensure there is some form of streamlining and that we give citizens the rights they deserve.

“I will be back to the minister regarding this issue.”