The axing of mobility allowances and grants for motorised transport for people with disabilities has been slammed as “unacceptable”. The government has come under sustained pressure to reverse a decision to axe mobility allowances and motorised transport grants for people with disabilities. This week Roscommon Disability Support Group (RSG) slammed the manner in which the schemes were axed in particular in the absence of any alternative options being made available. “The general feeling of disability groups is that since the decision to cut the personal assistant service was reversed this will be pushed under the mat and that’s not acceptable because it will make a huge difference to people,” Margaret Bourke manager at the RSG centre at Derrane told the Herald. “The government said that it was putting a new system in place but why didn’t it put an alternative in place first before scrapping it. It is a question of the needs of vulnerable people,” Margaret added. Margaret said that the cutting of mobility allowances would impact on those who relied on taxis to get around and that the axing of the motorised transport grant would particularly impact people in rural areas. “It particularly affects people living in rural Ireland, many who could not go to work because there is no public transport available to them. Only for the motorised grant that has been available wheelchair users could not use a normal car to get about,” she said. HAC Cllrs Paula McNamara and Valerie Byrne also condemned the cessation of the grants as a “blatant discrimination” of people with disabilities. “This government is targeting vulnerable people on a continuous basis leaving people with disabilities tied to their homes without means to get out and about,” Cllr McNamara said. Cllr Byrne also stated that people losing their transport grant on top of losing home help hours has further alienated people. “And all the time we have senior politicians being driven around in their State cars. Have we got to a stage in our society where it is okay for senior politicians to be driven even though they have the ability to drive and for those with disabilities to be denied access to a car?” Cllr Byrne asked. The government said that €10.6 million in funding will be ring-fenced for replacement allowances, although it is unclear when a new scheme will come into force.