Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Mar 1994

Vol. 440 No. 1

Written Answers. - Free Travel Scheme.

John Connor

Ceist:

57 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in relation to elderly persons who qualify for free travel on public transport, he will introduce a scheme that would include private transport services for persons who, for reasons of disability or infirmity, are unable to use public transport, or who live in remote locations away from the operational routes of public transport.

The free travel scheme operated by my Department is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years of age or over as well as certain incapacitated people in receipt of social welfare type payments. The scheme provides free travel for eligible people on the main public and private transport services. Those include road, rail and ferry services provided by semi-state companies such as Bus Atha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnrod Éireann, as well as services provided by certain private contractors. The scope of the free travel scheme has been expanded over the years both in relation to the number of routes covered and the concessions made available to people with disabilities such as the free travel companion pass which I introduced in 1990. About 440,000 people qualify for free travel at a cost of around £30 million a year.

The question of further extensions of the scheme to include the use of alternative forms of transport by people with disabilities or people living in remote areas is limited by the financial implications which this would have.

In recognition, however, of the special difficulties of people in remote areas, I was glad to be able this year to make a grant of £30,000 to the Forum project in North West Connemara for a pilot transport project aimed at the needs of elderly people and others in isolated rural areas. I will consider the results of the pilot project in the context of any further developments of the scheme.

Barr
Roinn