713. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether an equality impact assessment, disability impact assessment and rural proofing assessment were undertaken prior to the proposed reforms to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme; and if he will publish the findings. [60838/26]

714. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if alternative compliance measures, including enhanced auditing and targeted enforcement were considered during the development of the proposed reforms to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme; and the reasons for the approach adopted. [60835/26]

715. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the measures that will be put in place to ensure that genuine applicants are not disadvantaged by any reforms to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. [60833/26]

716. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the engagement that has taken place with disability representative organisations in developing the proposed reforms to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme; and whether further consultation is planned. [60832/26]

717. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has assessed the likely impact of the proposed reforms of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme on people with disabilities living in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60831/26]

718. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the evidence that informed the decision to reform the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme; and the analysis undertaken by his Department. [60828/26]

719. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the arrangements that will be put in place to ensure continuity of support for existing beneficiaries, if changes to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme are introduced. [60840/26]

720. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if his Department has estimated the number of individuals who may be affected by the proposed reforms to the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme; and if he will provide those estimates. [60839/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 713 to 720, inclusive, together.

Since 2021 when agreement was reached to bring the review of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme (DDS) into the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) Transport Working Group (TWG)’s review of all Government-funded mobility and transport supports for those with a disability, the Department has worked closely with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including those with lived experience of met and unmet vehicle adaptation needs and their representatives, Disabled Persons Organisations, a range of Irish Government Departments and agencies, ministries and agencies in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Lithuania. Specifically, it has worked closely with the Department of Transport in their development of the Vehicle Adaptation Scheme (VAS), contributing evidence, analyses and learning from the DDS and participating in joint stakeholder engagement activities. It is important to recognise that broader Government commitments to transport solutions for those with a disability are essential and are distinct from meeting vehicle adaption needs.

There have been four principal sources/workstreams for building the evidence base, generating analytical findings and assessing the impacts of proposed reforms to the DDS.

First, in 2022 the Department convened an information gathering Criteria Sub-Group (CSG) made up of former Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeals (DDMBA) members and HSE Principal Medical Officers (PMOs). Its purpose was to capture their experiences, expertise and perspectives in relation to the practical operational and administrative challenges of the DDS, as well as to explore what alternative vehicular arrangements were available for those with mobility issues based on international experience. The CSG work led to the production of five papers and a technical annex, submitted to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in July 2022 as inputs into the NDIS TWG review.

The main conclusion of the CSG, endorsed in the February 2023 NDIS TWG final report and shared by successive Ministers of Finance and the Department of Finance, was that the DDS should be replaced by a modern, fit-for-purpose, needs-based and grant-aided vehicle adaptation scheme in line with international practice.

Three key findings informed this conclusion:

1) the policy rationale of the DDS was grounded in an outdated, ‘in or out’ medical model of disability that required individuals to ‘prove’ they were disabled enough to qualify for the scheme.

2) the DDS was an outlier in almost all aspects, from international practice.

3) The DDS could not and would not ever achieve the standards expected of a 21st century administrative model. In this regard the CSG identified six consequential barriers preventing the modernisation of the DDS.

Second, proposed reforms were aligned with the UN Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities and with the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. In particular, proposed reforms to the DDS would adopt a social model of disability focused on supporting structural, combinatorial and complex vehicle adaptation needs.

Third, over time the Department was able to drive the generation, collation and analysis of data from numerous sources, including Revenue weekly DDS adaptation data from December 2023. These multiple datasets led to the production, for the first time, of detailed aggregate descriptive information and robust analytical findings on DDS recipients by cohort and by Primary Medical Certificate (PMC) holders; on DDS adapted vehicles; and on adaptation costs and reliefs provided. This identified issues and inequities within the DDS, generated learning for the Department of Transport VAS and informed proposed reforms as presented, for example, in papers for the Senior Official Group and Cabinet Committee on Disability.

Based on CSO data, it is estimated that up to nine times as many individuals may be eligible to avail of the VAS, as compared to a single individual supported by the current DDS. In terms of impacts, vehicle adaptation needs are unlikely to vary by geography. With the approaches described above, reforms to the DDS/the VAS would meet vehicle adaptation needs of many more individuals far more humanely, justly and fairly than any expansion of the DDS ever could.

Fourth, through stakeholder engagement, the Department has drawn from the expertise of those with lived experiences of met and unmet vehicle adaptation needs; and organisations transporting such individuals; to ensure that proposed reforms would meet vehicle adaptation needs in all circumstances, over time and would be fit for purpose into the future.

My Department and I share concerns that the DDS is no longer fit-for-purpose. The Government has now agreed to commence from early 2027 the Department of Transport’s Vehicle Adaptation Scheme (VAS). The VAS will provide direct financial assistance to all individuals with qualifying vehicle adaptation needs to meet the costs of those adaptations. The VAS will improve individuals’ functional mobility that in turn can contribute to better social and economic opportunities.

The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme (DDS) remains with the Department of Finance and will be kept under review. Learning from the commencement and initial operation of the VAS will further inform reform options for the DDS.