Written Answers. - Cross-Border Travel.
Noel Davern
Question:
38
Mr. Davern
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
the progress, if any, which has been made with regard to the implementation of the proposal to provide free travel for Northern Ireland pensioners and reciprocal arrangements in Northern Ireland for Irish pensioners; the agreement, if any, which has been reached with Irish Rail to implement this scheme; and the cost involved.
[10624/95]
Denis Foley
Question:
44
Mr. Foley
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if he will extend the range of the free travel scheme for senior citizens between North and South in order that these citizens do not have to arrive at and depart from the one destination; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[10628/95]
Rory O'Hanlon
Question:
76
Dr. O'Hanlon
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if the conditions for free travel applying to pensioners from Northern Ireland are similar to those applying in this State.
[10530/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 44 and 76 together.
Under the free cross-Border travel concession announced in the budget, adults holding the appropriate passes from my Department or from the Northern Ireland authorities will be given free travel when making cross-Border journeys in either direction. There are certain differences between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland schemes and, as both schemes are continuing, these differences will remain. Subject to this, the new concession will be applied in similar fashion to all passholders.
The new arrangements will come into operation on or about 1 July 1995. Full details of arrangements will be made public as soon as possible but, while I am glad to have this opportunity to provide additional information on the proposals, some of the details still remain to be settled with the transport companies.
Five transport companies will participate in the new scheme. These are Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Northern Ireland Railways. Ulsterbus and the Lough Swilly Bus Company. Provision for expenditure of £200,000 has been made in the budget for the current year but the extent to which the new concession will be used and the share which each company will attract is impossible to predict and, until the demand settles down into a fixed pattern, each company will be paid on the basis of actual traffic on its routes so far as this can be ascertained.
The free journeys, which will be available, will depend on the routes which the transport companies serve and on the accounting arrangements that exist between them. Each cross-Border journey will be provided free of charge from its origin in one jurisdiction to its destination in the other jurisdiction. The return journey need not be the reverse of the outer journey. It depends on what the traveller wants to do. There are, however, some limitations. Every free journey must be undertaken on the basis of one through ticket. Free journeys must not involve multiple ticket purchases from different operators and they cannot combine bus and train sections.
There will be certain differences between the bus and train companies for passengers getting free journeys. The bus companies will issue one-way tickets only. The train companies will issue two-way tickets if the passenger intends to return by the same route. Passengers will be asked to complete an application form for the free rail tickets as these will be needed for accounting purposes.
While every care is being taken, both here and in Northern Ireland, to ensure that the arrangements will be as satisfactory as possible for pensioners in both jurisdictions, it would be unrealistic to expect that the concession will be free of teething problems. I am confident, however, that the new concession will be successful from the start in bringing people in the two communities into closer contact and in fostering a better mutual understanding.
