Vol. 520 No. 1
31 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the proposal in the senior Euro card report to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Family, Community and Social Affairs that a scheme should be established to provide for reciprocal travel arrangements for the elderly throughout the country; and the steps, if any, he has taken to progress this proposal. [15170/00]
The Deputy's report to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Family, Community and Social Affairs is based on the report "Towards a Senior Euro Pass" which was commissioned by the Social Affairs Directorate of the European Commission and was undertaken and published by Age Concern, England at the end of 1997. It recommends that EU states should establish a senior Euro pass card which would entitle older people to concessions on various services, including travel, cultural and social activities.
The role of my Department in matters relating to the senior Euro pass is to submit observations in conjunction with other Departments, statutory and non-statutory bodies on any action taken to implement the proposals in this report, in so far as they affect the business of this Department. The administration of the Euro pass itself is outside the remit of my Department.
The Deputy has suggested, in advance of any EU measures, that the cross-Border free travel scheme should be extended to allow free travel for all pensioners throughout the island of Ireland. The current scheme applies only to cross-Border journeys and not travel exclusively within each jurisdiction.
The Deputy should note that my Department is responsible for the entire funding of this scheme which amounted to almost £2 million in 1998. In this regard, I note that the Euro card equalisation fund mentioned by the Deputy in his report could not be used to assist with the cost of operating this extension to the free travel scheme, as under EU law, any concession arising under this fund would have to be applied across the EU.
A review of the free schemes, including the free travel scheme, was recently published by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin. The review examined the issue of extending the free travel scheme to non-resident pensioners and concluded that such an extension of the scheme would not be in keeping with the objective of the free travel scheme. The report examines a great number of issues and requires detailed consideration. I will carefully examine all the recommendations made in this report in the context of future budgets and available resources.
It appears the Minister, who lives somewhat nearer the Border than I, is unsympathetic to this proposal which I included in the report to the committee. Will he give an indication of even nominal acceptance of this recommendation or is it like the island proposal – one to be talked about and nothing to be done about it? Will the Minister agree this proposal is worthwhile and stands on its own merits irrespective of the other proposals included in the Euro card report? In the context of what is happening this very day on this island he should be the first up to one of the Implementation Bodies with a proposal to establish free travel for the elderly throughout the island of Ireland. If there is a will to do it, it can be done.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by the Deputy on whether this should be done. It was for that reason that in my fairly minuscule contact with my counterpart in the North, when the Executive was up and running, I raised the issue of extending the free travel scheme throughout the country. I am happy that my counterpart in the North referred, at least in a press statement, to the extension of free travel throughout the country. It is an issue I would like to promote with my colleague north of the Border.
I am delighted with that response and I will remind the Minister of that commitment, that he was convinced of it at this stage. Let me extend it a little further. This is part of a report compiled in relation to a Euro card. I will not go into that wide area at this stage. It does not go back to the 1977 report, the only one of which the Minister seems to be aware. It goes back to a recommendation of the European Commission in 1989. I suggest the Minister extend his reading a little further. There is a proposal with the Federation of Irish Societies about travel from the UK to Ireland. Does the Minister accept that if we could get the all-Ireland proposal in place, it might then be used in discussions with the Assembly in Wales, the Assembly in Scotland and, ultimately, with the UK Parliament to have some form of travel concession throughout the two islands? Does he agree this is of particular importance to Irish people who live in the UK?
I do not disagree with the Deputy that it is something that could be considered in the context of the Council of the Isles. I would like to think we could do it on this island as a start.
That is my suggestion.
