andMr. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare if all free travel facilities were available to normally eligible old age pensioners throughout the Christmas period; and, if not, if he is satisfied that sufficient public notice was given of a decision to withdraw such facilities.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Travel Facilities.
21.
The free travel facilities are not available during peak periods in Dublin, Cork and Limerick or on long distance bus and rail services from noon on Friday to midnight on Sunday of each August bank holiday week-end, and from 23rd to 27th December, inclusive. A note to this effect is included in the pension books of qualified old age, blind and widow pensioners, and in the notification of approval of the allowance which is issued from my Department to all qualified British and Northern Ireland retirement pensioners.
Surely the Minister will agree that it is at this time of the year, especially around Christmas time, parents like to visit their children and it is really disgraceful to see them turned away from railway stations just because they have not the money.
I could not agree with the Deputy at all. Social welfare payments have been increased by twice, 2½ and 3 times in the last ten years as a consequence of the increase in the cost of living of 60 per cent and the facilities given for free travel are reasonably adequate. While I can understand the Deputy's attitude towards what may be regarded as a sympathetic consideration of these sorts of claims, it was quite clear from the very beginning that free travel allowances should be made in the non-peak periods.
Would the Minister not agree that this is a rather niggardly restriction on what is a good scheme and would he not consider amending this scheme to remove the restriction at peak periods?
I doubt if the Minister will consider removing the scheme——
Removing the restriction.
——and, if what the Deputy's party did during the last period in office in comparison with what our party has done——
Answer the question in terms of 1971.
Order.
The Deputy will not get away with his argument. I have said that social welfare payments have gone up 2½, 3½ and 4 times in the last ten years.
What has the cost of living gone up by in the meantime?
The increase in the cost of living has been 60 per cent. The Deputy will not get away with his argument.
There are 176 questions on the Order Paper.
I want to put just one supplementary. Is the Minister aware that the entire social welfare payment for a week would not pay an old age pensioner's or anybody else's fare from Dublin to the west and back at Christmas or at any other time? Is he aware of that? No. 2, is he aware that last Christmas CIE employees were instructed in one case that I know of to make old age pensioners pay fares on a run of six miles out and six miles back? Is that a long distance fare?
The Deputy knows just as well as I do, and as the Minister for Social Welfare, that the free travel allowances and the electricity contributions were meant to be in the nature of some help to these people——
Nobody is denying that. What has that go to do with the question?
——and the main policy of the Government is to increase social welfare allowances of all kinds consonant with the growth of production and the ability of the whole country to pay the taxes involved. This is not meant to be a major contribution.
(Cavan): Once in every two Budgets.
It is meant to be a help and an assistance and an improvement. Further, let me tell the Deputy that the old age pensioners and all others who derive these benefits are very thankful for what they get——
Deputies
Oh!
——and they would much prefer to see an increase in the basic social welfare payments in accordance with what the Government can give at any one time rather than see these particular payments inflated in any way.
What about the turnover tax?
We have 176 questions on the Order Paper and we have dealt with 21.
Sir, I know, but would the Tánaiste not understand that travelling on a half-empty train or bus will not cost any more and does he not understand that old age pensioners are human beings and they want to travel at Christmas to visit their relatives and friends and all this talk about all the Government are doing by way of bringing these allowances up is nothing but cod. We know that from 1921 until the fifties there was no increase in old age pensions.
This has nothing to do with the question.