Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 Nov 1999

Vol. 511 No. 6

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

335 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has to extend free travel cover to allow certain categories of persons with a disability to avail of taxi services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24978/99]

Andrew Boylan

Ceist:

343 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of widows on non-contributory pensions with no other source of income do not qualify for free schemes due to the guidelines in his Department; and the plans, if any, he has to revise the guidelines to include these recipients in the free schemes. [24987/99]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 335 and 343 together.

The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. It is also available to people under age 66 who are recipients of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of a constant attendance allowance or prescribed relatives allowance; invalidity pension; blind person's pension; disability allowance; unemployability supplement or workmen's compensation with disablement pension for at least 12 months or a social security invalidity pension/benefit or an equivalent payment, for at least 12 months, from a country covered by EC regulations or from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement.

In addition, widows/widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the free schemes, including free travel, retain that entitlement. At the end of October 1999, over 550,000 free travel passes had been issued and the estimated cost of the free travel scheme in 1999 is approximately £34.5 million.

The Department of Health and Children operate a mobility allowance scheme to provide financial support to severely disabled people who are unable to walk or use public transport. This allowance is available to applicants over age 16 and under age 66 years and may be used to finance taxi journeys. That Department also administers the motorised transport grant scheme to provide financial assistance to disabled persons who may need a car to obtain or retain employment or who are living in very isolated circumstances and have serious transport problems. Issues in relation to this area are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children.

A fundamental review of the free schemes of this Department is being carried out to assess whether the objectives of these schemes are being achieved in the most efficient and effective manner. This includes an examination of the qualifying conditions for the schemes, the target groups and the scope for alternative policy arrangements. The issues of access to transport for people with disabilities and extending the free schemes to all widow/widowers are also being addressed in the review. The conclusions of the review which is available in draft form are being considered in the context of budget 2000.

The review of the free schemes is being carried out by an official of my Department on secondment as a visiting research fellow at the Policy Institute, Trinity College, Dublin. It is expected that the research conducted will be formally published by the policy institute in the "Trinity Studies in Public Policy" series in January 2000.