Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 May 2017
278. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the options available for a person not on a qualifying payment to be issued with a free travel pass in a case in which regular travel to hospital is required for treatment of a child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23190/17]
View answerThe current free travel 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 almost 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 880,000 customers with direct eligibility to free travel with an annual allocation of €80 million. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. To qualify for the scheme, applicants who are under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment. These are invalidity pension, blind pension, disability allowance, carer’s allowance or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EC Regulations or one with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.
There are no discretionary free travel passes issued. If the free travel scheme was to be extended to people aged under 66 who are not eligible for a qualifying payment, an assessment process would be required for all such applications, changing the nature of the scheme. Successive Governments have instead used existing underlying entitlements to confer eligibility for this scheme.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) the Department of Social Protection may award a travel supplement in any case where the circumstances of the case so warrant. The supplement is intended to assist with ongoing or recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
