Incomes hard hit with mobility cuts

The shock abolition of two mobility allowances will result in a 20% cut in income for people with disabilities, a local campaigner has warned.

 

Condemning the decision by Government to abolish the Mobility Allowance (MA) and Motorised Transport Grant (MTG) as an “attack” on people with disabilities, activist Tom King claimed this is the second substantial cut following the proposed changes to the rural transport scheme, widely used by people with mobility problems.

The vice-chairman of the Centre for Independent Living (CIL) and Disabled People of Clare Board noted the MA was worth about €200 while the MTG was worth about €650 every three years.

According to HSE statistics, 371 people in the Mid-West were in receipt of the MA while 19 people received the MTG in 2011.
Independent MEP Marian Harkin called on the Government to “urgently reconsider” the decision, arguing it “sends the wrong signal about the nation’s duty towards its citizens with disabilities”.

Ms Harkin, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Disability Intergroup, said the stated purpose of the allowance is to let recipients benefit from a change in their surroundings.

“This may sound like a self-evident advantage but the fact is that this grant provides a vital means for citizens with severely restricted mobility to fully benefit from – and fully participate in – their broader community. This is a right that most of us take for granted, which unfortunately will now become far harder to access for up to 5,000 families in Ireland, according to some estimates”.

The Department of Health insisted the Government is conscious of the needs of people with a disability who require transport supports and a recent ruling from the Ombudsman that the schemes are illegal in the context of the Equal Status Acts.
Following detailed consideration of issues surrounding the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant, the Government has decided that it is no longer possible to allow the two schemes to continue as they presently operate and to devise an alternative scheme for meeting people’s needs.

The decision has been taken after the commencement of a consultation review process with representatives of those people affected.
Independently chaired by Sylda Langford, the review group will seek an alternative method for ensuring the needs of persons affected can be provided for in a manner that does not run counter to the Equal Status Acts.

“The decision is in no way intended to save costs and the funding involved in the two schemes (€10.6 million) remains committed to meeting the transport needs of relevant people.

“Despite the fact that today’s decision ends both schemes to new applicants with immediate effect, the payment of the Mobility Allowance to those who are currently in receipt will continue for another four months as we devise an alternative method of meeting people’s needs,” the department stated.