Unequal access to personal transport schemes continues for people with disabilities

DEPUty Peter Fitzpatrick and the Regional Group of tDs have raised a private members’ motion recognising that people with disabilities are not receiving the support to live independently and lead active lives within our communities due to a lack of transport supports to meet their needs.

Deputy Fitzpatrick states that “transport costs are an extra living cost that people with disabilities cannot afford, which gets more difficult as the cost-of-living increases”. Affirming this, the Indecon report entitled “the Cost of Disability in Ireland” confirms that living with a disability adds on average an additional €9,027 to the cost of living explicitly relating to disability, transport and mobility.

“People with disabilities need access to affordable public and personal transport. however, many people with disabilities are confined to home, unable to engage on an equal basis in employment or their community as they cannot access Government support to help with their personal transport needs,” Deputy Fitzpatrick said.

“Our Private Members motion to be debated next thursday in the Dáil focuses on the introduc- tion of a new integrated transport scheme for people with disabilities and their carers that ensure flexible arrangements that meet the needs of the individual and are in compliance with the ‘Equal Status Acts’”. in February 2022, Deputy Fitzpatrick and the Regional Group tDs received full party support for a similar motion. however, since then, the Government has done nothing and continues to fail people with disabilities, their families, and their carers with their delay in action. it is more than ten years since the Government suspended the motorised transport grant and mobility allowance and has done little to address these issues.

Some of the Regional Group recommendations include: provide funding and introduce