Health Services and Public Health Act 1968

33 Provision of vehicles for persons suffering from physical defect or disability

(1) The Minister may provide invalid carriages for persons appearing to him to be suffering from severe physical defect or disability and, at the request of such a person, may provide for him a vehicle other than an invalid carriage.

(2) The Minister shall have power, in the case of an invalid carriage or other vehicle provided by him for or belonging to any such person as is mentioned in the foregoing subsection, on such terms and subject to such conditions as he may determine.—

(a) to adapt the vehicle for the purpose of making it suitable for the circumstances of that person;

(b) to maintain and repair the vehicle ;

(c) to take out insurance policies relating to the vehicle and pay the duty, if any, with which the vehicle is chargeable under the [1962 c. 13.] Vehicles (Excise) Act 1962;

(d) to provide a structure for the keeping of the vehicle therein and provide all material and execute all works necessary for the erection of the structure.

(3) The Minister may, on such terms and subject to such conditions as he may determine, make payments by way of grant towards costs incurred by any such person as is mentioned in subsection (1) above in respect of all or any of the following matters in relation to an invalid carriage or other vehicle provided by the Minister for or belonging to that person, that is to say, the taking of any such action as is referred to in subsection (2) above, the purchase of fuel for the purposes of the vehicle, so far as the cost of the purchase is attributable to duties of excise payable In respect of the fuel, and the taking of instruction in the driving of the vehicle.

(4) Section 3(2) of the 1946 Act (making and recovering of charges in respect of the supply, as part of hospital and specialist services, of certain appliances and, in certain circumstances, in respect of replacement or repair of appliances supplied as part of such services) shall have effect as if any reference to an appliance included a reference to a vehicle and, in relation to a vehicle, any reference to replacement or repair were a reference to replacement thereof or the taking of any such action in relation thereto as is mentioned in subsection (2) above.

(5) Regulations made by the Minister may provide for any incidental or supplementary matter for which it appears to the Minister necessary or expedient to make provision in connection with the taking of any action under subsection (2) above or the making of any payment under subsection (3) above.

(6) The provision of vehicles as mentioned in this section and the taking of any such action as is mentioned in subsection (2) above shall, for the purposes of the 1946 Act, be treated as having been included from 5th July 1948 among hospital and specialist services provided under Part II of that Act.

(7) In this section " invalid carriage " means a mechanically propelled vehicle specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, for the use of a person suffering from some physical defect or disability and used solely by such a person.

(8) This section shall have effect in Scotland as if, for references therein to the 1946 Act, or any Part or provision thereof, there were substituted respectively references to the 1947 Act and the corresponding Part or provision of that Act.