The health (transport support) Bill is on the spring-summer legislative programme. The mobility scheme has been abandoned for eight or nine years and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath, promised us last November that a new scheme was imminent. That was five months ago. When will the Bill be introduced, given a great deal of enabling work is needed? Many families are suffering enormously. They need specially adapted cars for their loved ones. The scheme has been gone for so long that their cars are clapped out. They are seven or eight years old and cannot be changed. When will this important scheme be reintroduced? Could the Minister give us a date? People are suffering.

The legislation is being handled by the Minister of State and it is on the priority list. The intention in the Bill is to introduce a new form of mobility allowance precisely for the people to whom the Deputy referred. We absolutely accept that this has gone on for too long and we will conclude this as soon as we can but it involves ongoing discussions between the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform because there will be budgetary implications and those can only kick in from next October's budget.