{"id":2132,"date":"2023-06-14T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T09:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/government-continues-shameful-neglect-of-drivers-with-disabilities\/"},"modified":"2023-09-15T10:41:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T09:41:27","slug":"government-continues-shameful-neglect-of-drivers-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/ga\/government-continues-shameful-neglect-of-drivers-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Government continues shameful neglect of drivers with disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ombudsman slams lack of progress on replacement schemes for disabled drivers\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Ombudsman\u2019s sharp criticism of the lack of supports for drivers with disabilities should be a source of deep embarrassment for the Government, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns.<\/p>\n

Deputy Cairns, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on disability, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cCommenting on the publication of his office\u2019s annual report, Ombudsman Ger Deering was unequivocal in his condemnation of the Government\u2019s lack of progress on this issue. He described the lack of supports for disabled drivers as shameful and rightly pointed out that no one seems to be willing to take any action.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is now 10 years since the Government discontinued the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant after the schemes were found to be in breach of the Equal Status Act. These schemes were closed to new applicants in 2013 and, despite repeated promises, have not been replaced with alternative supports by the Government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ombudsman also highlighted difficulties with the Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme, saying it has inequitable and inadequate eligibility criteria in primary legislation and has had no appeals mechanism in place since November 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe provision of transport supports is required by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) \u2013 yet the Government continues to ignore its obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor disabled people, transport is about independence, access to education, securing employment or being able to meet with family and friends. However, because of this Government\u2019s inaction, they continue to be excluded from everyday life in Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n

June 14, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ombudsman slams lack of progress on replacement schemes for disabled drivers\u00a0 The Ombudsman\u2019s sharp criticism of the lack of supports for drivers with disabilities should be a source of deep embarrassment for the Government, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. Deputy Cairns, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on disability, said: \u201cCommenting on the publication […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[400,7,399],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holly-cairns","category-press-release","category-tds"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGovernment continues shameful neglect of drivers with disabilities - Social Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/government-continues-shameful-neglect-of-drivers-with-disabilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ga_IE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Government continues shameful neglect of drivers with disabilities - Social Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ombudsman slams lack of progress on replacement schemes for disabled drivers\u00a0 The Ombudsman\u2019s sharp criticism of the lack of supports for drivers with disabilities should be a source of deep embarrassment for the Government, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns. 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