I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 385 together.
The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability type welfare payments, such as disability allowance, invalidity pension and blind person's pension. People resident in the State who are in receipt of a social security invalidity or disability payment from a country covered by EU Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, and who have been in receipt of this payment for at least 12 months, are also eligible for free travel.
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 Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators.
The free travel scheme applies to travel within the State and point to point cross border journeys between here and Northern Ireland. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to a scheme of all-Ireland free travel for pensioners resident in all parts of the island of Ireland. The scheme will enable pensioners resident here to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland. Likewise, pensioners in Northern Ireland will travel free of charge on services in this State.
Discussions in relation to the introduction of the proposed all-Ireland free travel scheme have taken place between officials from my Department and their counterparts. Discussions have also been held at ministerial level, and the matter was raised by the Taoiseach with the Prime Minister. I am also meeting the Commissioner this week to further explore the issue.
There have been a number of requests and inquiries in relation to the extension of entitlement to free travel in Ireland to Irish born people living outside Ireland, or to those in receipt of pensions from my Department, particularly in the UK, when they return to Ireland for a visit.
Officials from my Department met with European Commission officials in April in an effort to clarify the legal issues involved. In the past few weeks the Commission's response to the issues raised at that meeting has become available and is currently being examined by my officials.