Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin agreed that calls for free travel for people with epilepsy who are prevented from driving as a result of their condition is a “fair point”.
The Taoiseach was responding to a question put forward by Deputy Aidrias Moynihan about this longstanding issue for people with epilepsy.
You can watch Deputy Moynihan’s question and the Taoiseach’s response in the video below.
We welcome the Taoiseach’s positive response and his commitment to pursue this with his Ministers. We would also like to thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue – which he noted was raised with him by local constituents. This highlights the importance of using your voice with your local representative to #AdvocateForEpilepsy on this and other issues which are facing the wider epilepsy community.
In advance of the budget in October, Epilepsy Ireland made a submission on the matter of Free Travel. Unfortunately, there was no commitment to our proposals in the budget, but we will continue to pursue this important matter.
Following the Taoiseach’s comments in the Dáil yesterday, we have written directly to the Taoiseach welcoming his positive feedback and offering our assistance in helping to address this longstanding matter.
We will continue to update our website and social media channels with any developments in this regard. If you would like to support our calls, a template letter to send to your local TD or Senator is available for download at the end of this article. Details of your local TDs and Senators can be found on the Oireachtas website.