Everybody is welcome. I want to raise a serious issue around the wheelchair accessible vehicle, WAV, grant system and ask the Minister for Transport whether there are any plans to review or change the qualifying criteria to ensure that those who are genuinely providing regular transport services to wheelchair users are prioritised over others. At present, the system largely operates on a lottery system and it is not working. There are reports of individuals successful in receiving grant approval who have been unable to secure finance needed to purchase these vehicles. The result is that grants have been tied up while genuine operators who are ready and willing to provide these essential services are left waiting and miss out completely.

The current application system is not fair and is not working for wheelchair users, particularly in counties like Donegal, my own county. In Donegal, we have taxi operators and firms that want to provide wheelchair accessible services but cannot access the support needed to purchase these vehicles. The result is wheelchair users are being left isolated in their own homes, unable to attend day services, appointments or social activities or even to carry out basic daily tasks. Public services are not always an option in rural areas. Buses do not pass every community and many people are left isolated without these taxis. These vehicles are not a luxury, but a lifeline. I call on the Minister to review the current criteria and application process to ensure priority is given to operators who can clearly demonstrate an existing need, a commitment to providing these wheelchair accessible services, and the ability to have these vehicles on the road and operational without unnecessary delay. Wheelchair users deserve a system that works. This comes from a visit by myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, to the Irish Wheelchair Association centre in Letterkenny a couple of weeks ago when the clients said there was a massive problem getting wheelchair taxis. I investigated this with the companies and this is what they came back to me with.