Social Welfare Benefits.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2004

Wednesday, 15 December 2004

Ceisteanna (14)

Seán Crowe

Ceist:

26 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether serious hardship is being caused by the fact that temporary free travel passes which are granted to persons with serious ongoing illnesses and in other exceptional circumstances are granted for a six-month period only on a once-off basis regardless of a person’s ongoing illness or the continuation of the circumstances for which a pass was originally granted; and if he will review the restrictions on such passes with a view to the removal of the six-month limit. [33546/04]

Freagraí ó Béal (3 píosaí cainte)

Mr. Brennan

It is a long-standing feature of the free travel scheme that peak time access restrictions apply on Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann provincial city services in Cork and Limerick. The operators apply these restrictions owing to pressure on bus capacity at peak commuter times. The times involved are 7 a.m. to 9.45 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Monday to Friday inclusive, with a restriction also applying from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays on Bus Éireann long distance services within a 20 mile radius of Dublin, Cork and Limerick. There are no time restrictions on the DART, other rail services or Luas.

My Department, in consultation with CIE, has arranged in a small number of exceptional cases to issue a temporary unrestricted pass for a limited period of up to six months to facilitate unavoidable hospital appointments and to enable the passholder to re-arrange appointments outside peak hours. This arrangement is sustainable on a limited basis only for a small number of individual cases. Therefore, when the customers' temporary unrestricted pass expires, the normal travel pass is issued.

The question of extending the arrangement for customers with special needs has been discussed with CIE. However, the company continues to experience capacity problems in providing peak period services and with bus traffic flow at peak time. I will continue to keep this issue under review to examine the scope for extending the current arrangements as soon as this can be done.

Mr. Crowe

I thank the Minister for his reply. The difficulty is that the people who receive the pass do so based on exceptional circumstances such as attendance at hospital appointments. Those who receive such passes are usually seriously ill. I have received representations from a man whose pass will expire on 2 January 2005. The person concerned obtained the pass based on his medical situation. He has cancer and must attend two hospitals for treatment. It has been suggested that he and other people have their appointments rescheduled. However, the Minister is aware given the situation in our hospitals that it is not a realistic option.

I had anticipated the Minister's reply as I am aware of the difficulties being experienced by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. However, in this case we are dealing with people with exceptional needs given their serious illnesses. I am asking that the Minister re-enter negotiations with the two companies concerned to outline the serious needs of those involved. These people who may be on the road to recovery are being told that following a six month period, they will receive a restricted travel pass only. That creates great difficulties and results in many seriously ill people having to pay for taxis or the required bus fare.

I am aware of the positive steps taken by the Minister in this area. Will he re-enter negotiations with Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann to seek an extension of the scheme? We also need to address the manner in which people are given information regarding the restricted travel pass. The number of people involved is not enormous. I do not accept the argument of pressure on bus capacity at peak times. There is room to cater for the small number of people involved.

Mr. Brennan

The total number of people in the State in receipt of free travel is 616,000. I do not have a difficulty with what the Deputy has to say on the matter. It is not a matter of finances. CIE has informed me — a company about which I know a little given that I worked with it for some years — that it cannot physically take on additional capacity at peak time. If required to do so, we would have to pay the company substantially more than we do at present. My Department pays CIE for travel by the 616,000 concerned at a formula-based price which is attractive to the taxpayer. It is also an attractive formula from the point of view of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. I will keep the matter under review. I would like to apply the same benefits applicable to Luas and the DART whereby people are permitted unrestricted free travel. I would like that system to apply across the board. As CIE has many new buses, we will talk with it again to see if there are any other possibilities. The answer does not lie in building a bureaucracy based on issuing passes and then rechecking them to see if people are genuine in claiming to have hospital appointments. Such a scheme would only work in the short term. If it grew into a massive scheme, it would be an awful waste of resources. We are better off extending it to everyone rather than cherry-picking those with pressing needs which would require an army of officials just to manage it. I am interested in making progress on this issue, if the physical capacity matter that CIE informs me it has can be overcome.