The case for a fuel rebate

In Ireland, disabled motorists who rely entirely on their vehicle get a rebate on the cost of fuel. Helen Smith wonders whether it’s time the United Kingdom followed suit

The title of the letter that arrived on my desk recently was “Is this progress?” In it, a Mr Rogers explained how times have changed and now, instead of being issued with blue three-wheeled invalid carriages, disabled people can now choose practically whatever car they like from the Motability scheme.

Although full of praise for the scheme, Mr Rogers then posed this question: “This year my Incapacity Benefit has been frozen, my total raise in income is £1.60 while the cost of fuel is being allowed to skyrocket. For those of us unable to earn and solely dependent on benefits, it looks like it will be back to a one-seat electric scooter with limited mileage. Is this progress?”

Although I believe that a lot of progress has been made to improve the mobility of disabled people I fully sympathise with Mr Rogers’s view. When we have to leave our vehicles in the garage or even give them up because we can’t afford to run them, something needs to be done to help us fund the fuel.

One suggestion comes from Alan Lewin who is a motorised wheelchair-user. He writes: “Can we pressure whoever is likely to be the new Chancellor that there is a case to be made to grant us a discount on fuel tax when totally dependent for survival on the car? My hefty motorised wheelchair won't be carried by taxis or buses.”

This is in fact exactly what happens in the Republic of Ireland, where qualifying disabled drivers and passengers are able to apply for a repayment of excise duty on fuel used in the vehicle they either drive or travel in. The maximum amount of fuel that can be claimed is 600 gallons or 2,728 litres per year.

This rebate would make an enormous difference to people who have no option but use their own vehicle.

The response from the British Government has been that disabled people get Disability Living Allowance to cover the extra costs of living with a disability, but when this benefit is used to pay for the monthly Motability instalments there is nothing left to pay for fuel.

Obviously, disability benefits are different from one country to another but when I spoke to the Irish Wheelchair Association they confirmed that as well as being able to claim back fuel duty disabled people also receive a disability benefit.

With fuel prices showing no sign of dropping, I think the time has come for the new Government to review how disabled people are supported and in particular their mobility needs. It’s all well and good providing disabled people with a free bus pass but this is next to useless for a significant number of disabled people who can’t use the bus. The fact that a fuel tax repayment system is already being used in Ireland shows that it is tried and tested and is going some way to help disabled people who are reliant on their vehicles.