Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 April 2004
854 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent she has assisted, or intends to do so, applicants who qualify for free travel allowance but live in rural areas not served by public transport. [12111/04]
View answer856 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she plans to extend free travel facilities to rural areas deficient in public transport. [12319/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 854 and 856 together.
The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years, or over, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. It is also available to certain people with disabilities and people who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.
The scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as services provided by over 80 private transport operators. The vast majority of private contractors providing services under the scheme operate in rural areas. The underlying feature of the scheme is the use of spare capacity on these transport services.
I am always willing to consider applications from licensed private transport operators who wish to participate in the scheme. My Department pays transport providers to operate the scheme. However, it cannot provide transport services where none exist.
At present access to public transport in rural areas is being addressed through the rural transport initiative. Area Development Management operates it on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport. In 2003 my Department contributed €500,000 to the initiative and I have secured the same amount for 2004. Thereby ensuring that free travel pass holders will continue to have full access to community based transport services.
In recent budgets the free schemes were significantly improved, including the free travel scheme, in terms of the qualifying conditions and their coverage. I will continue to review them with a view to identifying scope for further improvements as resources permit.
855 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs about her proposal to charge 300,000 pensioners 47 cent for telephone rental; and the rationale behind her decision. [12134/04]
View answer874 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a charge is being imposed on recipients of the free telephone allowance. [11641/04]
View answer875 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason pensioners will be charged 47 cent in future on their free phone rental. [11643/04]
View answer879 Mr. Carey asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a charge of 47 cent is applied to recipients of telephone rental allowance. [11724/04]
View answer890 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her proposal to charge 300,000 pensioners 47 cent for telephone rental; and the rationale behind her decision. [12135/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 855, 874, 875, 879 and 890 together.
I refer the Deputies to my comprehensive reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 604, 605, 618, 623, 632 and 636 on 23 March. The cost of the telephone allowance scheme in 2004 is estimated at €92.2 million for 300,000 customers. It represents a significant increase of nearly €9 million or 11% in expenditure over the 2003 cost.
The telephone allowance appears on a customer's bi-monthly bill as a cash credit of €40.82 and is not attributable to any particular component of the bill. Eircom invoices the Department for the same amount. The allowance is worth €49.39 per bill, including VAT. The newly structured telephone allowance has applied since October 2003.
Eircom increased its rental charges with effect from 4 February 2004. As a result, social welfare clients incur a small increased cost. It amounts to 94 cent per bi-monthly bill, including VAT, compared to an increased charge for non-social welfare customers of €3.78 per bill. Eircom also offered to give low use customers up to €10 worth of calls free per bi-monthly bill by promoting its separate vulnerable users scheme. It should further benefit social welfare customers.
At present I have no plans to increase the telephone allowance. A change would have to be considered in a budgetary context in the light of available resources and other priorities.
