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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Mar 1994

Vol. 439 No. 6

Written Answers. - Free Travel.

Willie Penrose

Question:

102 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant the same facilities for companion passes for single elderly people as are available to other categories in cases where entitlement to free travel arises; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The Free Travel Companion Pass, which I introduced in 1990, is a special version of the Free Travel Pass which enables anyone over 16 years of age to travel free with the pass-holder. The Free Travel Companion Pass is intended to meet the situation where a person is entitled to free travel under the Free Travel Scheme but cannot make any real use of the concession because of some disability that prevents them from travelling alone.

Companion Passes were issued originally to people who were receiving disabled person's maintenance allowance and who were certified by their health board to be unable to travel alone. Since then, I have been able to make companion passes available to additional groups of disabled people such as the blind and people confined to wheel chairs. Many of the holders of the companion pass are elderly single people but, in all cases, their entitlement is based on the fact that they are disabled to the extent that they are unable to travel alone. I hope to extend this facility to further categories of disabled people as resources permit.

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