As the Taoiseach will be aware, the motorised transport grant, which was for disabled drivers and passengers, has been in abeyance for five years. It was put into abeyance by the Ombudsman because he decided the scheme was not wide enough. For the past five years, the grant has not existed at all. The Taoiseach has been promising us continually that its restoration would be imminent. I noticed that the comment in the legislation programme beside the health (transport support) Bill, the legislation supposed to provide for the grant, is that work is ongoing. For how much longer will it go on? What do we tell all those potentially successful disabled applicants who are queuing up for some sort of transport assistance to which they should be entitled? Are we going to tell them after five years that work is ongoing?

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Work has been ongoing for nearly five years. I agree with the Deputy in that regard. The last time this was raised, I said I would take an interest in trying to sort it out. I recall that the advice given at the time was that the scheme was structured such that only those then in receipt of the grant could continue to receive it and that new entrants would not be accepted. I assure the Deputy that a great deal of work has taken place on this matter. I want to find out whether I can give the Deputy a date for when the measure will be approved by the Government so it can be brought back into the House. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. He raised it before and is not the only one who has done so. The matter is quite complicated, I believe, but I assure the Deputy that substantial work has been completed on it. I will advise the Deputy on progress.